Styrfaka 1

Finds from the central areas of the eastern building indicate the presence of a sanctuary dedicated to Demeter and associated deities (Kore, Pluto, Aphrodite).  The large rooms of the rectangular Building A, situated along the central axis of the motorway, were suitable for hosting numerous guests.  The northeast Building B has been identified as a space for dining, food preparation and cooking, essentially a “kitchen”.

The sanctuary of Demeter and the associated deities began to flourish in the late Classical period, with its peak dating to the Hellenistic period (late 4th to early 1st century B.C.). Inscribed sherds of black-painted skyphoi from the late 5th century B.C., bearing the names of their dedicators (or users), indicate the site’s original use as a sanctuary.

Noteworthy finds from the sanctuary include figurines such as the head of a female figure, Demeter with a polos, a composition of Pluto and Persephone on a recliner with Amalthea’s Horn, and parts of an Aphrodite figurine.

The decorative representations of plants and animals, the lamps, and the vessels from various periods, trace the sanctuary’s history. The collection of the votive, mostly stamped, loom weights in various shapes and sizes, the votive metal rings – clothing accessories -, the rings, agricultural tools, and numerous coins from various ancient cities and koina (federations) suggest a bustling site.

A large rectangular Building, (Building A) from the Hellenistic period (late 3rd century B.C. to 2nd century B.C.) was unearthed along the central axis of the E65 motorway. This building featured two interior spaces, a large hearth, a bench, and a rectangular construction made of sherds.

In the northeast Building (Building B), in use from the late 3rd century B.C. and primarily in the 2nd century B.C., the discoveries include storage constructions and hearths, either square or semicircular, indicating spaces for food preparation, work and dining.

The use of the eastern Building (Building C) of the sanctuary was disrupted and it was dismantled during late antiquity (4th-5th century A.D.).  The building materials were repurposed for the construction of graves in a late Roman cemetery, where 22 simple pit graves and 9 elliptical mound graves without grave goods, demarcated by a row of rough stones, were excavated.