ISTHMIA - 2008

Isthmia. E. Gebhard (ASCSA/Chicago) reports.
Further study of the Ar temple (F. Hemans) confirmed the elevation of the floors of the pteron and the top of the stylobate. What had been considered to be a step at the SE corner of the façade in fact belongs to a foundation for the stylobate. The circular base interpreted as supporting the marble perirrhanterion at the NE pteron bears evidence of being set into the floor before being finished, and the floor was evidently laid at the same time against it. The monument is contemporary with the construction of the temple. The same may be true of an iron tripod of the 7th Ct BC, the feet of which were found in situ adjacent to the perirrhanterion base.
Study of the distribution of LAr and Cl cooking wares (M. Risser, B. Cheney and E. Michael) shows that roasting and boiling of sacrificial meat generally took place in different parts of the sanctuary, with some meat roasted at the altar and the remainder boiled in proximity to the communal feast. Some stewpots and covered serving platters from the reservoir (Large Circular Pit) are unusually large, while vessels used for individual servings are slightly smaller than similar examples from domestic contexts in Corinth. Kotylai, skyphoi and one-handled cups may have fulfilled a dual function at the feast, used both as bowls for food and cups for wine.
Study of worked stone tools (I. Gatsov, P. Nadelzheva) nears completion: objects relate to food production (querns and other grinding stones) and construction (masons’ floats and hammers), and also include gaming boards and a sun dial.

T. Gregory (ASCSA/Ohio) reports on a further study season on finds from the Rom bath, the area E of the temenos (East Field), and the Byz fortress. Conservation of the mosaics in the Rom bath continued, especially those in rooms VI and XII, as did the cleaning and stabilization of old trenches in the areas S of the Rom bath and E of the temenos. In the area of the Rom bath, a new series of doorways to the Cl bath was discovered, and a drystone wall constructed along the whole S side of the Rom bath.
Study of the anc. architectural blocks in the area of the so-called Hexamilion outworks, NE of the Rom bath, continued, with a pilot study for the use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology for the location and detailed recording of these blocks in the field. Many previously unknown architectural pieces were identified, perhaps all from the same building. Thus 2 additional Doric epistyle-frieze blocks were identified, bringing the total of blocks of this type to 10.
The removal of soil and landscaping of the area of the Hexamilion outworks, between the Rom bath and the Byz fortress, along the S side of the large ravine that runs from the centre of the Isthmus to the Saronic Gulf, resulted in the levelling of much of the soil E of the bath and S of the Hexamilion. In this operation, designed to open the area to visitors, the foundations of a large building (ca. 10m x 16m) of the 1st-2nd Ct AD were discovered. This building was entered through a doorway leading from the area NE of the Rom bath, and was connected in some way with the large E-W building(s) that lie essentially unexplored between the bath and the fortress.