News - Mounychia

Fig 1. Photo: Bjørn Lovén/ © ZHP 2006

Fig 2.

Author: Bjørn Lovén

Work is proceeding very well in Mounychia (modern Mikrolimano). Last week we relocated and surveyed the well-preserved massive foundations of the tower and adjacent walls in the middle of the southern fortified quay that guarded the harbor towards the sea.

Further, we have found possible remains of shipsheds in the south-western part of the harbour basin at a depth of 2 m, but future excavations are required to identify the structures as shipsheds.

Fig. 1 shows Sigrid (project architect) and her assistant Vassilis (behind the total station) ‘amphibiously’ surveying the top surface of the tower at very low tide.

Prior to the aforementioned survey and the underwater survey slight surface cleaning was carried out to remove sediments and sea growths from the structure. The tower is preserved to a height of three courses above its rock-cut foundations and has a maximum width of about 11 m.

G. von Alten drew a sketch plan of this tower in the winter of 1876/77 and again in 1881, but the architecture of the tower has never been examined in detail.

Fig. 2 is G. von Alten’s map of Mounychia, the area in question is marked with a light-blue circle Map Bl. II, ‘Die Halbinsel Peiraieus’ (1:12.500) prepared by von Alten in the winter of 1876/1877, in Curtius, E., Kaupert, J.A., Erl. Text zu Karten von Attika; Heft I, Athen und Peiraieus (Berlin 1881).

A number of huge architectural elements, that has no logical relation to the tower and the have been found in the vicinity of the tower and we hope that we will have more news on these next week.