Argos, Tripoleos Street - 2009

Argos, Tripoleos Street (Property of N. Anastasiou). Christos Piteros (Δ’ΕΠΚΑ) reports on the discovery of a Hellenistic and Roman cemetery (Fig. 1). In the eastern part of the property was found the built entrance of a large previously looted burial structure made of poros blocks (0.90x0.50x0.30 m.) (Fig. 2). The building was preserved to the height of four blocks and rested on a pebble floor. The staircase consisted of four poros steps lined with plaster and was between 1.10-1.15 m. in width. The floor was made of a thin layer of sand and mortar. Around the building were Hellenistic and Roman tile covered graves as well as pit burials, a poros shaft grave and one in a pithos. The graves contained unguentaria and various glass vases. In the south-eastern corner of the structure was part of a rectangular cremation kiln, while further to the south was part of the outer wall, made of limestone and poros blocks. In the same area was a circular well made of poros which contained pottery from the 4^th and 3^rd centuries B.C., as well as the remains of a small clay shield depicting a gorgoneion (Fig. 4).

In the western part of the excavated area were a number of tile covered graves (16, 18-23), a partly preserved cist grave and part of a wall which does not appear to be associated with the graves. The graves were dated to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. At a deeper level a pit burial and shaft grave were excavated, both dated to Late Mycenaean IIIC.

Additional finds included Hellenistic pottery, Early Classical anthropomorphic figurines and a Mycenaean zoomorphic figurine (Fig. 3).