Excavations

Graves and other archaeological finds in Karystos

Recent resort building activity led to numerous excavations in the Karystian vicinity, proving that the area has been constantly inhabited since ancient times.

Three graves were discovered at the site of Mazes in 2001, dating back to the late 4^th and 3^rd century BC. The graves had burial gifts placed outside them.

Similar graves were discovered to the east of the Mazes site in 2002. The burial gifts consisted of lekythia, white ground lekythoi, a griffin figurine and various vessels.

Part of the ancient Karystian necropolis is located at the site of Xanemo. A short salvage excavation at the site revealed nine tombs with burial gifts placed either by the feet of the dead person or around the middle of the corpse ( 3^rd century BC – 2^nd century AD). Bone or glass knucklebones astragals constitute a typical grave find, as playing astragals was a favorite pastime of children as well as adults in antiquity.

At the site of Kokkaloi, the extended remains of a building complex covering an area of 234 square meters were revealed. The whole area of Palaiochora represents the site of the late Classical to lte Byzantine city of Karystos. The most important find was a tower with a strategic position, allowing it to protect the city against pirates, watch over the fields and supervise the ancient mines.

The skeletons found north of the city revealed basic demographic data as wall as a hint of paleopathological information. The ones that stand out are the skeleton of a woman with a severe form of osteoarthritis, a man whose lower jaw had been used extensively for activities other than normal chewing and  another man who exhibited evidence of platymeria, caused by continuous squatting or walking on certain terrain.

Most of these finds can be found in the archaeological museum of Karystos.