Papers of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (6.1890-1897 (1897))

EXCAVATIONS IX THE ERETRIAX TTIEATEE IN 1894.

[Elate xir.]

The work of excavation in and about the theatre at Eretria
during the month of May, 1894, was entrusted by the Director,
Erofessor Richardson, to Erofessor Fhillips and myself. While
the former was engaged in uncovering the temple, the workmen
under my direction cleared away the earth from about the stone
structure to the southwest of the scena-building (B), and sank
trial trenches immediately behind the scena. The stone structure
proved to be an altar. No indications were found that a stoa or
other accessory buildings had ever existed in this part of the
Dionysus precinct. During the second week our workmen were
all employed on the temple. Then a trench was sunk from the
northeast corner of the temple in the direction of the theatre.
Foundation walls were found, which were recognized at once as
belonging to the west wing of the scena, restored conjecturally
in Mr. Fossum's plan (see pp. 56-103, and Elate iv).
Much encouraged by this discovery, we employed from this time
on as many men as could work to advantage in the narrow space
south of the ruins of the cavea and west of the scena. The found-
ations lay so near the surface and progress was so rapid that we
reached the west parodos several days before the close of the cam-
paign. Unfortunately the point about which the greatest interest
centered, the parodos itself, was so deeply buried under the mass
of heavy stones and earth that had fallen at the collapse of the
sustaining wall of the cavea, that only a beginning was made of
a work of which the completion might prove of considerable im-
portance for the understanding of this interesting theatre.
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