the excavation of the athenian agora twelfth season: 1947

EXCAVATION OF ATIHENIAN AGORA, 1947 161
camps, fishes, and birds provide the setting, the whole being apparently a fantastic
contamination of the story of Scylla and Charybdis with that of the Sirens.
The principal types of lamps from the cistern are illustrated by the three speci-
nens shown in P1. 43, 1, one of which bears the name of Komos in the genitive,
perhaps the name of a near-by resident since it appears in the abbreviated form Kco
on another fragment (P 18756).
Among the scores of plain vases and jars are a pair of lagynoi, SS 10,259;
SS 10,260. Made of slightly micaceous buff clay, they bear the stamp MOMXMQNON
Pl. -2, 2a
(Drawi11 by 4 aran eler
Fig. 5. Megarian Bowl from Cistern on Areopagus (P 18,640) Scale 1: 2
(Drawing by Marian Welker)
on the handle. The capaci'ty of the better-preserved jar, measured to a marked line
just below the lip, is 4.08 litres. In addition to these " fractional"Y wine containers,
the cistern yielded three stamped Thasian handles, two Parian and twenty-fouir
Rhodian, all from wine amphorae of standard size.
Characteristic of the terracottas from the cistern are the two pieces shown in
P1. 42, 2, an actor and a draped female figure.
A welcome piece of evidence for the dating of this cistern group is given by eight
silver coins of Histiaea of the period ca. 197-146 B.C. (below, p. 192).
For habitation on the north slopes of the Areopagus in the Roman period the