The second excavation season at the Chalcolithic settlement of Erimi Pamboula has been completed, bringing to light further evidence about the architecture, material culture and everyday activities of the prehistoric community that occupied the site.
The excavations took place from 25 June to 24 July 2026 and were conducted by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) under the direction of Professor Giorgos Vavouranakis, according to an announcement by the Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture.
The research team brought together specialists and students from several institutions. It included NKUA adjunct lecturer Ioannis Voskos, postdoctoral researchers, PhD candidates, and postgraduate and undergraduate students from NKUA and the Universities of West Attica, Heidelberg and Lumière Lyon II, as well as archaeologists from Cyprus. The excavation also included an Erasmus short blended mobility programme organised by NKUA and the Cyprus Institute. Specialist research formed an important part of the excavation programme. Associate Professors Evi Margaritis and Efthymia Nikita, along with postdoctoral researcher Angelos Hadjikoumis of the Cyprus Institute, studied the archaeobotanical material, human remains and faunal remains, respectively. In addition, postdoctoral researcher Gaia Mustone of the University of Siena examined the chipped-stone assemblage, while Dr Dimitris Kloukinas of Greece’s Ministry of Culture studied fragments of earthen architecture.
New discoveries at the settlement
During the 2026 season, investigations continued close to the area originally excavated by Dikaios. Archaeologists uncovered an extensive outdoor space containing remains of a plaster floor, a stone mortar and a plaster hearth, together with groups of pottery sherds and animal bones and evidence associated with ochre working. The excavation also provided a clearer understanding of the architecture of the settlement. The ground plan of a circular building, which had previously been partly excavated by the Department of Antiquities, was almost completely uncovered. A second wall situated nearby has also been reassessed following this year’s investigations. Although it was identified as rectilinear during the 2025 season, the new evidence suggests that it may instead belong to another circular building.
Pottery, tools and other finds
The movable finds recovered during the excavation include a large quantity of pottery sherds, predominantly Red-on-White pottery, as well as chipped-stone and ground-stone tools of various types. Archaeologists also discovered picrolite objects, including pebbles, half-finished artefacts and beads, together with clay lumps, seashells and animal bones, mainly belonging to deer. The pottery recovered and studied so far supports the dating of the settlement to the Middle to early Late Chalcolithic period, between approximately 3500 and 2900/2800 BC. The results of the 2026 excavation season add further evidence to the ongoing investigation of Erimi Pamboula, particularly concerning the settlement’s circular architecture, outdoor activity areas and the range of objects used and deposited at the site.
Sources:
– Department of Antiquities
