Three buildings, particularly interesting archaeological findings, were brought to light by the ongoing excavation of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lesbos in the castle of Agioi Theodoros, identified with Ancient Antissa, in western Lesbos. In particular, an arched building from the 7th century BC, with richly written and black ash pottery, and two earlier rectangular buildings, from the 8th century BC and the 10th century BC, were discovered. This excavation find is particularly important. , as the historical continuity from the Late Bronze Age (1600 - 1100 BC) to the so-called dark ages (11th - 9th century BC) is confirmed, which mark the movements of the Greek races, such as the Aeolians in Lesvos .
History of the space
The Castle of Agioi Theodoros (also called Obriokastro today) is located on the peninsula of ancient Antissa, west of Molyvos and east of the coastal settlement of Gavathas.
It extends on a rocky hill, in a strategically important position that controls the divide between Lesvos and Asia Minor. On the land elevation, according to the philological testimonies and the testimonies of the travelers, stood the castle of the same name, dedicated to the military Saints Theodoros, who also protected the castle-state of the same name. The monk traveler Buoendelmonti mentions in 1422 the castle of Agioi Theodoros as one of the seven of Lesvos, while synodal decisions refer to it as a castle state. Although the castle is undocumented as to its form, as it is not depicted in medieval hieroglyphs, it seems that at the end of the First Turkish-Venetian War (1461-1479) it was abandoned by the Ottomans, who completely destroyed it.
Regarding the location of the castle, I. Kontis in his historical work "Lesbian Polyptych" mentions that "the ancient city of Antissa was located in the desert today Obriokastro, as the place was named after the castle that was built there during the rule of the Gateluzos" . To map the territory of the ancient city, the German archaeologist Robert Koldeway in 1890 demarcates the area occupied by the city by the later medieval castle and the hill designated as the citadel.
For the archaeological research of the ancient city, first in 1931 and 1932 the English archaeologist Winfried Lamb carried out excavations outside Obriokastro on behalf of the English School of Archeology, which confirm the habitation of the area since the Late Bronze Age (last centuries of the 2nd Millennium) to the Archaic period (late 7th - 6th century BC), but also the Late Classical period (4th century BC). Of particular interest are the arched buildings he finds, which date back to the 8th and 7th centuries BC and are classified as sanctuaries.
From her investigations, it was found on the opposite side of the hill of Obriokastro, a hill, part of the archaic and classical fortification, as well as the necropolis of the city which is located to the east and south.
Today's excavation
The recent archaeological research of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lesvos, funded by the Public Investment Program of the North Aegean Region, aims to highlight the important for the history and archeology of Lesvos, the archaeological site of Ancient Antissa. Which, according to the experts, needs systematic excavation research, mainly in the medieval castle, which is being excavated for the first time after about 90 years since Lamb's research in the wider area of the ancient city.
As the Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lesbos, Pavlos Triantafyllidis, tells APE - MPE, "the multiple collapses of the walls caused by the sea and strong winds, the shapeless stone piles and the image of desolation and abandonment, are clearly not suitable for one of the five city-states of Lesbos during antiquity".
The Ephorate of Antiquities of Lesvos for two years proceeded with systematic surface cleaning, time-consuming deforestation of the vegetation that had covered the entire surface of the medieval castle, with the result that the surviving building remains are not visible. "From the annual maintenance of the site covering an area of approximately 15 acres, amorphous stone piles were revealed throughout the archaeological site, which are connected to the destruction and desolation of the monument after the destruction of the castle by the Ottomans in 1462" says Mr. . Triantafyllidis who, as he notes, aims at the archaeological service to uncover the most important architectural remains that are preserved under the stone piles and "which give a poor picture of the state of the castle, which clearly does not befit its glory".
For this reason, test excavation sections were carried out. On the sea wall that runs along the medieval moat. At the crossroads with the five towers. And in the Upper Castle.
Research on the five rectangular towers of the medieval battlement has focused on the 2nd and 3rd towers. Its construction has been established at least in the 13th - 14th century AD, i.e. during the late Byzantine period, when Lesbos was handed over to the Gatelouzos as a dowry of the Paleologues to Francis Gatelouzo.
Excavation of tower 3 revealed a monumental gate with earlier built-in architectural members and a stone-paved floor, dating to the 14th century AD, with two passages to the east and north, and which survives at a height of four meters below the stone piles . The monumental access indicates that the level of operation of the medieval castle is much lower than the one preserved today, and therefore the continuation of the archaeological research will reveal to a sufficient extent the morphology of the castle buildings. Ceramics, metalwork and glass, as well as coins confirm its repair in the 14th century and its abandonment by a violent event, probably its destruction by the siege of the castle by the Ottomans.
In the Upper Castle, an underground area of a rectangular tower in the form of a dome was found for the storage of grain in jars, plastered with mortar, and with written decoration, while to the east of it, exceptionally well-preserved at a height of about two meters, rectangular rooms with stone-paved floors, probably underground for storage pithon, dated from coins of the 14th century AD.
"The excavation continues with the aim of investigating older building remains that go back to older stratigraphic centuries," concludes the Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lesvos, Pavlos Triantafyllidis.
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