A preliminary report on sculptures and figurative terracottas found at the site of Vlochos, region of Karditsa, Thessaly

Abstract

The existence of an ancient city at Thessalian Vlochos was first established by the discovery in 1964 of several inscribed stelai at a quarry at the site, which in turn prompted its declaration as a protected archaeological zone. A large spoil-heap with mixed soils and quarry debris had been left after the closure of the quarry, and this was examined and removed as part of the ongoing Greek-Swedish archaeological collaboration at the site. Apart from quarry debris and rubbish, the soils of the heap yielded considerable amounts of pottery and tile, and also architectural members, terracotta figurines, stelai, marble statuettes, and votives. The mixed nature of the soils made all finds ex situ, but the composition of the material provides a transect of the chronology of the site at Vlochos, as well as strong indications of cult, including evidence for the cult of the Thessalian goddess Ennodia.