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The Voula Excavation
Students enrolled in the CHAPS program in Athens in summer 2013 have the
opportunity to participate in the excavation of an important site associated with
the ancient municipality of Aixonides Halai, located in the modern town of Voula,
a coastal suburb some 20 kilometers from the center of Athens, known for its
splendid sea-views and low pine hills. The site, near the church of “Aghios
Nikolaos Pallon,” is a block from the sea and close to the recently discovered
Agora. Excavated for the first time in January 2008 by CYA/DIKEMES students
under the direction of the Greek Archeological Service, it contains ruins of large
ancient blocks, suggesting the presence of a large and significant public building.
Excavations to date have unearthed material from the Byzantine, Roman and
Classical periods.
Other discoveries in Voula:
The discovery of the ancient Agora and related sites
The market (agora) of the ancient municipality of Aixonides Halai came to light in
2005 during a rescue excavation of a plot of land that the Sklavenitis Company, a
supermarket chain, intended to build on. The excavation was conducted by
archaeologists Yannos Kourayos and Mary Giamalidi and a six-person team under
the auspices of the Greek Archaeological Service, which is responsible for
investigating the existence of archaeological finds before any new construction
can take place. The team discovered a complex dating to the 5th-4th century B.C.
built around an open courtyard with a cistern cut into the natural bedrock. Twelve
rooms are situated around the courtyard, two of which are divided into two inner
spaces. Another room has a prodomos (fore-court) and a sekos (main cella),
suggesting a small shrine. A smaller square room with many pots in situ could
have served as the temple’s kitchen. To the south of the temple the excavations
revealed a square altar enclosed by a semicircular construction (peribolos). North
of the main building stands a rectangular peribolos measuring 25x25 meters. The
complex is defined to the east and south by strong protecting walls built of huge
local stones. These walls also protect a well of fine masonry with a monumental
mouth that measures 2x2 meters. The excavations unearthed three female
figurines (one depicts a kourotrofos, or nursing deity, and another a pregnant
woman), 40 bronze coins and 2 silver ones, 42 lead weights and 45 weaving
weights.
The discovery of the coins is very important for the history of the area, as it
is the first time that such a large quantity of coins comes to light; what is more, it
attests to the public character of the building complex. Another significant find is
a bronze plate with the inscription ΔΙΟΝΥΣΙ ΑΛΑΕ, which testifies to the area’s
identification with the ancient municipality of Aixonides Halai. The discovery of
this building complex -- most probably the ancient market -- is also significant
because until now only private complexes had been found in the area. It provides
a more complete picture of the way ancient municipalities were organized. Their
Agora was a place of gathering and socializing, of economic transactions and of
religious activity.
After the discovery of the ancient ruins it was decided that only private
houses should be built on the property as they posed a smaller threat to the
archaeological site than a supermarket, which would have required more
extensive digging. Following the rescue excavation the ancient agora, comprising
only 1,500 square meters of the 5,500 square meter plot, remains visible and
intact.
Aixonides Halai was one of the ancient municipalities situated outside the
city of Athens and it participated in the Athenian parliament with six members. Its
importance derived from its proximity to the city of Aixone and the valuable salt
flats that existed along the coast. Other excavations have identified two main
settlements and the temple of Apollo Zostiras, a major religious center located on
the modern site of Laimos in Vouliagmeni, next to Voula. The acropolis has been
traced (but not yet excavated) on a hill, not far from the recently discovered
market, commanding panoramic views of the sea-routes of the Saronic Gulf and
the road that connected the area with the neighboring municipalities of
Anargyrounton and Aixone, in the modern towns of Vari and Glyfada. The ancient
cemetery of the municipality has been excavated at the site of Pigadakia where
sarcophagi and cremations have been found. In 2006 another burial enclosure
was discovered with six sarcophagi, six cremations and six child-burials in pots.