







Phylakopi Excavation 1896-1899
The site of Phylakopi on the island of Melos was excavated by the British School at Athens from 1896 to 1899 first under the directorship of Cecil Smith (1896-1897) and then D.G. Hogarth (1898-1899). During the first season of work, excavations were exploratory in nature, revealing massive enclosure walls and a number of structures within. Most of the efforts of the British School team in 1896 were spent at the site of the ancient city of Melos, Tramythia, but it was determined by the close of the season that Phylakopi would prove to be more fruitful. Work was delayed in 1897 due to the change in Antiquities Law that required the purchase of the land. However, excavations did take place and many more structures were exposed and a plan was made. In 1898, the limits of the city were determined and several trenches were dug to examine the relative chronology of the artefacts. Links to Crete were observed among the artefact types, both as imports and as local imitations. In the final season of 1899, a Megaron structure surrounded by a court was uncovered, complete with fresco fragments and fine artefacts. Chronological sequences demonstrated a site had several periods of occupation.
Active from 1896 to 1899.