Theissoa-Lavda

 

The site of Theissoa is set on the southern slope of Lavda-hill (757 m) above the Alpheios River in Arcadia.
Travelers and archaeologists already visited the site of Lavda-hill from the 19th century onwards, but it was not until 1984 that the first serious research was carried out by the Netherlands Institute in Athens. While the town of Theissoa was known from descriptions of Pausanias and Polybius, its exact location was long unknown. The aim of the project was to solve the problems with the location and to give the ancient settlement on Lavda hill a place in the geography and history of Arcadia.
The dating of the architectural elements is at this moment subject of inquiry, but the site was inhabited in the Late-Hellenistic period as is indicated by the ceramic finds. In the Middle Ages the site was inhabited and known as the Chateau Ste Hélène. It was burned down in 1302 AD.
An enceinte enclosed the upper part of Lavda-hill, an area of roughly 385 x 150 m. The main gate of the settlement was in the southern circuit wall. A strong tower was placed in its northwest corner. The wall from here to the western gate is the best-preserved part of the enceinte, while the eastern wall is badly preserved. Both the southern and eastern wall had two rectangular towers 70 meters apart, which allowed the slope to be covered during attacks.
The acropolis wall had a strongly protected gate in the southeast corner, flanked by a bastion. At the southwest corner another large tower protected the acropolis. The western acropolis wall running to the top of the hill is very well preserved.
The excavations focused on a flat area at the foot of the western acropolis wall. Here the remains of a house were uncovered. The house consisted of at least twelve rooms, five of which could be entered through the courtyard. Stucco in monochrome panels with beveled edges, in the so-called architectonical style, covered the walls of the representative rooms of the house. Virtually no household goods were found, which means that the house was probably not abandoned because of a catastrophe. After its use the house was torn down and its material reused.
On the acropolis the remains of buildings can be found. It has been suggested that a small marble temple and a stoa stood here. All the buildings blocks that are found here and on the slopes are likely to have belonged to buildings that once stood on the acropolis.