A Middle Helladic apsidal house at Frantzi in the Spercheios valley

Rescue excavations in the village of Frantzi in the south-eastern part of the Spercheios valley, south of Lamia, unearthed the remains of an important MH to LH III B – III C Early settlement. The southern part of an apsidal house was preserved under the foundation of the central LH III Mycenaean complex. The stratigraphic context permits us to draw some conclusions about MH III – LH I material culture at Frantzi and, by extension, the wider area of the Spercheios valley. Although a significant amount of fine grey wheel-made pottery was found, light unpainted domestic pottery, mainly reddish-yellowish or orange-yellowish washed ware, is probably the most representative for the end of MH / beginning of LH in Central Greece. Generally, the local ceramic assemblage is characterised by its conservatism, although the presence of individual forms of light-coloured pottery and specific imported wares indicates a shift towards the Late Bronze Age.