Overview
The modern settlement of Kalapodi is situated in Central Greece, east of Mt. Parnassus, in a region that belonged to Phocis in antiquity. East of the village lies a sanctuary with two parallel temple complexes. Significant finds including bronzes, weapons, pottery, and numerous small finds, like Mycenaean seal stones, demonstrate that the local importance of a sanctuary with interregional influence. For the first time in Greece, it was possible to prove a cult continuity from the Late Bronze Age into the Early Iron Age there. Numerous architectural phases, beginning in Late Helladic III A1 and continuing into Late Antiquity, attest to the continuous use of the sacred space, while Byzantine-era burials indicate subsequent reuse.
Heritage Protection at Kalapodi
A new monument protection concept devised by Themistoklis Bilis and Maria Magnisali between 2014 and 2016 and approved by the Central Archaeological Council began in 2017. The concept initially envisioned a new protective roof over the South Temple area, intended to replace the old, provisional shelter. This plan was later superseded by more intensive restoration and backfilling measures in the South Temple area, which allowed the project to forgo a permanent protective roof. The company Lithou Sinitiris developed this restoration concept, as well as a detailed study for the restoration and lifting of the South Temple's west pediment, which was found in situ in 2009. Both plans were implemented starting in 2018. The pediment blocks were restored, lifted, and subsequently re-set after the excavation of the area beneath them. In addition, a path system was established around the South Temple. Furthermore, in 2022/23, several column drums were re-set over the original locations of the North Temple, which had been backfilled after the close of excavations in 1982.
A major challenge to monument preservation is posed by water. Due to the north-south gradient of the site, one issue is rainwater, another ice and snow in winter. A system of trenches and drainage now facilitate the runoff of rainwater. In 2023, the EU project TRIQUETRA began, in which the DAI Athens participates with a study focused on protecting the monuments of Kalapodi from frost damage.
