Description

When the site of Elean Pylos was threatened by the construction of a dam in 1968, a team from the University of Colorado moved in to salvage as much information as possible about the ancient town before it was submerged. This report is divided chronologically: Middle Helladic, Geometric, Archaic, Classical, Roman, Byzantine, and Frankish. Each chapter consists of a brief description of the remains in the field, followed by a catalogue of the finds. While earlier finds are mainly of wells, the Classical settlement was the size of a large village providing everyday finds of bronze, lead, iron, and pottery. Some fragments of terracotta figurines and amber suggest a certain amount of wealth, but the primary character of the whole site is agricultural. Roman and Frankish remains are primarily funerary.