Sparta Excavation 1924-1927 Season 1927
Excavation: Research excavation
At the former, the full length of the two retaining-walls has now been cleared: of the eastern wall, the portion left undug, from the foot of the outer staircase to the outer angle, has now been laid bare, and it was found that the marble facing-blocks were preserved for eight courses above the torus-moulding. The further exploration of the western retaining-wall has now made it certain that there was no external staircase to correspond to that on the east, and it seems unlikely that it was ever marble-faced for its whole length. East and south of the stage-area we found extensive remains of buildings, even more deeply buried than was the stage itself. In the Theatre itself we uncovered some more of the front row of seats by means of a deep trench which followed the curve on which they are set out, and enabled us to clear also the gangway behind, and the water-channel in front of them. During the second half of the season attention was also paid to the remains of a bathing establishment (or large villa or gymnasium?) some fifty metres south of the Nymphaeum. On the Acropolis, our first task was to complete the excavation of the building found last year, which partly underlies the back wall of the cavea, at a deep level. The building proved smaller and more ruinous than had been expected, and the south wall had entirely, and the east wall largely, disappeared.
Active in 1927.
Woodward, Mr Arthur Maurice
Droop, Professor John Percival
De Jong, Mr Piet
[Journal] The Annual of the British School at Athens, no. 28 (1926/1927).