Papers of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (5.1886-1890)

REPORT ON EXCAVATIONS NEAR STAMATA IN

ATTIKA.

[Plate XIII.]

While the excavations were going on at Dionysos (Ikaria) in No-
vember, 1888, Mr. H. S. Washington and Mr. C. D. Buck spent an
afternoon in investigating some ruined churches near Stamata, a
village situated to the north of Pentelikon about midway between
Kephisia and Marathon. These churches seemed likely to yield in-
teresting material, especially for the identification of one or two demc-
sites. It was decided by the Directors of the American School to
begin excavations at once, especially as Mr. Washington was ready to
take charge of the work and generously provided the necessary money.
Permission having been obtained from Mr. Heliopoulos, the owner of
the land, and from the Greek Government, the work was begun on
December 27. The present report is an abstract of Mr. Washington's
notes.

The first site excavated was a small ruined Byzantine church, the
debris of which were visible above the ground at Palaio-Stamata, about
a quarter of a mile south by west from the present village of Stamata
(see above, p. 50). Six days were spent in clearing the interior of
this church down to the virgin soil, which was reached a few centi-
metres below the rough slabs of the pavement, and in making trenches
in all directions from the outside walls. The church had three apses.
As is generally the case with these Byzantine churches on ancient
Greek sites, the material, collected indiscriminately from what was
nearest at hand, consisted of stones of all descriptions, including pieces
of sculpture and inscribed blocks. The lowest course of the wall of
the north apse consisted of four cleanly worked stones, all of the same
dimensions. Thickness, from front to back, 0.62 m.; height, 0.49 m.;
inner circumference, 0.98 m. This gives an inner arc of 3.92 m. for
the semicircle, and an inner diameter of 2.50 m.

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