The family villa of Herodes Atticus

The first villa was erected in the 1st century probably by his father Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes, ex-praetor, provincial priest, then consul suffect in 133 AD. However, it is likely that the land was purchased by Herodes Atticus' grandfather, Tiberius Claudius Hipparchus.

Herodes Atticus carried out major extension work on the estate, giving it the grandeur and luxury of a rich patrician residence. The archaeological remains offer proof of a second phase, around the year 165, when overwhelmed by the loss of his wife Régilla and his sons, he covered the villa with artistic works of his relatives. In particular, he had the heroon of Antinous converted into a sort of funerary triclinium, placing several cenotaphs in the room as well as in the nymphaeum. Several stelae and a herm also testify to a heroic cult towards his adopted sons.

The estate remained active at least until the 4th century and even until the following century, probably still in the family, maintaining close ties with Rome.

Destruction and reuse

The property was partly destroyed at the end of the 4th century, potentially by an earthquake or the Visigoth invasions. At the beginning of the 5th century the baths and other parts of the villa were used for craft productions and the north wing modified to create a large basilica. The imposing monument however collapsed a few centuries later, probably following a major earthquake in 856.

The Monastery of the Transfiguration, dating from the 12th century and located 250 m south of the villa, now houses many ancient artifacts most likely from the domain of Herodes Atticus. Remains of the Roman villa were integrated into the masonry. Traces of activity during the Byzantine, Ottoman and modern periods have however been brought to light during excavations.

Rediscovery and modern excavations

The site was rediscovered in 1809 by British traveler William Martin Leake. He thought he saw, in the remains of a wall, the Hellenistic enclosure of ancient Thyrea. About forty years later, the German archaeologist Ernst Curtius refuted the idea of an urban wall in favour of Roman domestic use, without making any connection with Herodes Atticus. It was not until 1906 and the work of Konstantínos Rhomaíos that the villa became associated with the famous sophist.

Following the declaration of the area as an archaeological site in 1962, archaeological excavations were conducted in 1978 by Georg Steinhauer and Panayótis Fáklaris. Other campaigns took place between 1984, 1987 and in 1989. In the 1990s, salvage excavations continued under the direction of Theódoros Spyrópoulos and later his son Geórgios. Work to protect the site has been carried out since the end of the 2000s.

Decorations

Most of the mosaics that have come down to us date from the 5th century and mainly depict mythological subjects. Among the figures and scenes depicted are the Muses Euterpe and Calliope, Dido, Aeneas, the nymph Arethusa, the river-gods Ladas, Alpheus and Acheloos, the Labours of Heracles and Achilles slaying Penthesilea.

On the site a considerable number of statues, busts and reliefs have been unearthed, most of them in Dolianá marble, including classical masterpieces and Roman copies, representations of deities, portraits of the Antonine imperial family and the adopted sons of Herodes Atticus, Achilles, Polydeukes and Memnon. A Pentelic marble head of the latter is today in the collections of the Altes Museumin Berlin. A relief evoking the Eleusinian Mysteries, a large statue of Antinous, an acephalous statue of Régilla and a stele with the list of soldiers who fell at the Battle of Marathon were also unearthed. These finds are mainly kept in the Archaeological Museum of Ástros, the Archaeological Museum of Trípoli and the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.