Ephyra-Epirus: The Mycenaean Acropolis: Results of the Excavations 1975–1986 and 2007–2008

Thanasis I. Papadopoulos and Evangelia Papadopoulou publish the results of excavations at the Mycenaean acropolis of Ephyra in Epirus, drawing on campaigns conducted between 1975–1986 and again in 2007–2008. The volume brings together architecture, stratigraphy and finds to establish the character and chronology of this Bronze Age site.

The fortified hill overlooks the lower Acheron valley, with access towards the Ionian Sea and the Greek interior. Successive enclosure walls, a monumental southern gateway, burials and pottery underpin the excavators’ argument for a lasting Mycenaean presence there, even after the collapse of the southern palace centres. The authors even consider whether this could be Homer’s Ephyra, leaving the literary identification as a possibility rather than a proven fact.