Labraunda 2010. A preliminary report on Swedish excavations

Abstract

The campaign of 2010 continued the work which was initiated last year. The excavations in the fortress on the Tepesar Hill were completed. The fortress consists of a large, early Hekatomnid tower where two black-gloss vessels indicated a dating of the tower to about 380–350 BC. In the two additions to the tower, several wellpreserved vessels dating from the 3rd century BC were uncovered. The latest fragment was a painted piece from a lagynos from around 200 BC, but there were no fragments of Megarian bowls. The test probe of last year in the West Church Complex was extended to a larger trench measuring c. 9 × 12 m. Evidence for three major phases could be established by J. Blid: (1) a Late Classical stoa; (2) the stoa colonnade is rebuilt into a Christian basilica of the 5th century AD; (3) a Middle Byzantine building of possibly 12th–13th-century date. Many marble pieces were retrieved from the marble furniture of the church, as well as three sections of white and polychrome mosaics. During the necropolis excavations 29 tombs were investigated, of which 11 were unplundered, in a newly discovered burial ground dating back to the 5th century BC. Although the tombs of this area were modest in shape and in terms of associated deposits, they provide a new insight for understanding the history of the necropoleis of Labraunda. Finally, architect Chet Kanra continued working on the plans for the restoration of Andron A, and marble conservator Agneta Freccero conducted trial conservation on an Ionic capital from Andron A. Thomas Thieme and Pontus Hellström gathered further information for their publication of the andrones.