Tow-Niched Building

The "Tow-Niched Building" has been revealed in the eastern part of the hill of the ancient city of Sparta, between the sanctuary of Athena Chalkioikos and the Basilica of the so-called "Saint Nikon." It is a monumental structure oriented from A to D and measuring 31 x 14.50 meters. The initial construction consists of a large central rectangular space flanked to the east and west by two smaller rooms, with a semi-circular niche in their northern wall, a feature that also gave the conventional name to the building. Slow stones, ashlar, brick, and tiles, fragments of marble architectural members from earlier buildings of the Acropolis, including inscriptions, have been used for the construction of the building. Over time, the building underwent many repairs, alterations, and additions. During recent excavations, two storage silos from the Middle Byzantine period were uncovered west of the building. The building was in use from the Early Byzantine to at least the Middle Byzantine period. The fact that it has been constructed against the northern part of the theater's cavea places its construction after the 4th century BCE, that is, after the last period of operation of the theater. It is possible that the function of the building, at some point, was related to the nearby basilica of the so-called "Saint Nikon."