Excavations in Ithaca: Tris Langadas

Abstract

The site was discovered by Andreas Lekatsas, then proprietor of the Stavros Hotel, in his vineyard, and excavated for the British School, at his generous invitation, in two campaigns in 1937 and 1938. It lies on a steeply sloping hillside just above the path leading up from the cave side of Polis Bay, and commands a splendid view down the Ithaca channel towards Same in Kephallenia (plate 1a). Its main area (christened TL), presumably a sizeable house, consisted of a ramp leading up to a heap of large roughly dressed stones, with one large loose rock in the middle; this suggested that the house had been destroyed by a fall of rock caused by an earthquake. On a terrace leading eastwards from the house were the remains of three small curvilinear huts, impinging upon one another, built of small stones; this area, L, was dug and planned by F. H. Stubbings. On a higher terrace beyond L we found some walls of a rectangular house with more regular stonework; this, House T, was dug and planned by H. Thomas.