GREECE PELOPONNESE ELEIA ALIFIRA

The precinct of Athena is located on a terrace southeast of the acropolis proper and lower on the hillside, with fantastic views to the surrounding mountainous landscape. The temple (11 x 30 m) is Doric, peripteral, without pronaos or opisthodomos, and with only a simple cella. Its architectural characteristics indicate a date of ca. 500-490 BC. It replaced an older temple of the 6th century BC, keeping the archaic order of 6x15 columns. This corresponds to the number of columns of the temple of Apollo at Bassae, also the N-S orientation due to the sloping terrain. - At the northern side of the precinct (see picture below left) is a long altar and a large statue base originally belonging to a colossal bronze statue of Athena.

Hellenistic necropolis

Next to the road southeast of modern Alifira lies the ancient cemetery. Six funerary monuments of the Hellenistic period have been discovered here so far. The most important and best preserved of these is the "Tomb of Setheas", identified by the inscription on its front. It has an open-air court-yard with retaining walls on either side. The facade with its pediment resembles a temple. In the interior there are four elongated spaces for the deposition of the dead. Groundplan below after A. Orlandos.