The North Basilica in Herodes Atticus’ Villa at Eva/Loukou: New Observations on the Architecture and the Sculptural Program.

Abstract

Τhe excavated part of Herodes’ luxurious residence at Eva/Loukou of Kynouria, modern Arkadia,  covers a surface of 6,5 dinums and has the plan of a typical roman villa. The original phase of the villa dates to the second half of the 1^st century A.D., at the latest, and is connected with the family of the fabulously wealthy Athenian entrepreneur, philosopher and Roman official, Herodes Atticus. The North Basilica, an impressive complex with a surface of approximately 1,000 square meters, was intensively excavated in the decade of the 1990s by the former E’ Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities (E΄ EPKA). Its preserved ruins date to the second half of the 4^th century AD, at the earliest. Recent investigation has concluded that it consists of an apsidal single storey colonnaded hall with rooms attached against its south and west sides. Our documentation has reconstructed the original height of the columns and identified all the features of the superstructure, allowing for a more detailed reconstruction of the building. It is also firmly confirmed that members of structures that date to the late 1^st and early 2^nd centuries A.D. have been reused for the construction of the North Basilica in its present state, as hypothesized by the excavators. Other features were made from scratch from fine white marble. The round structure in the north east corner of the compound is identified as a staircase well that led to the upper level. The reconstruction of the architecture is combined with comments on the sculpture collection that once adorned this remarkable hall.