The Aigeira Archaeological Survey Project (AASP)

Aigeira is one of the few places in the coastal region of Eastern Achaia with natural conditions that allowed a permanent settlement. The stable natural rock is an important prerequisite for settlement activity in this highly earthquake-prone region. In addition, the location high above the sea offered excellent long-distance visibility and thus the possibility of controlling coastal and inland routes. All of this obviously outweighed the disadvantages of the steep terrain and the difficult supply of fresh water, as evidenced by the settlement of the ancient city since the 6th millennium B.C. and up to the Middle Ages. The Aigeira Archaeological Survey Project (AASP) aims to investigate the organization of the ancient city across epochs. A central question for understanding urban development is how the Archaic-Classical settlement was structured in comparison to the newly founded Hellenistic `lower city`. While little is known so far about the former, the latter may have been built according to a uniform design scheme; this is suggested by the conspicuous orientation, following the cardinal directions, of the antiquities still visible on the surface today. Targeted surface surveys and geophysical investigations should provide further insights into the building density, the road and path networks, and the location of the residential and craft quarters and public squares. An important basis for the planning of the city survey is the evaluation of historical plans and aerial photographs. Comparison of modern topographic surveys shows that although the land division has changed only slightly in the last 50 years, tree plantations, especially those with olives, dominate today, in contrast to the 1950s and 1960s. Since these require little ploughing, comparatively few surface finds can be expected at the corresponding sites. The survey yielded initial interesting results in a conspicuously flat area of about 150x60m, which has always been associated with a public space, possibly the central agora of the ancient city. Here at the end of the 19th century, the Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais had already discovered parts of the Diocletian`s maximum price dictation, which was valid in the whole Roman empire. On the surface and in the geophysics, moreover, the remains of a large rectangular structure - possibly a naiskos-style building or a large peristyle - and of what is probably a late Roman spolia building are clearly visible. Surface finds that include Doric and Ionic building elements, column drums, fragments of lion-headed waterspouts, and Hellenistic and Roman fine ceramics - also support the assumption that this was a public space rather than a private area.