Archaeological Research Facility

The multi-year project of the Nemea Center for Classical Archaeology (DAGRS), the Excavation and Conservation of the Early Christian Basilica, at the Sanctuary of Zeus in Ancient Nemea, Greece, began in 2022. The west end of the 5thc. CE building was investigated including the narthex and two rooms added later to the building on the north and south sides. We cleared areas that had been excavated in the 1920s, 1960s, and 1980 to reveal the building’s foundation walls, floor surfaces, and other architectural features, including previously unrecorded interior walls of the 4thc. BCE Xenon building from the pagan panhellenic sanctuary. Overlooked small finds, like coins and painted terracottas, were recovered and we began the full study of pottery and related finds from the previous excavations which remain unpublished.

The ancient foundations of the Basilica, now accessible in the west part of the building, will be conserved this fall by consolidating the original crumbling mortar and masonry using a special binding agent. The remainder of the building will be reinvestigated and the masonry conserved in the coming seasons.