Archaeologists Explore "Forgotten Town' of Megara

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 49, 13 March 1937, Page 18

Archaeologists Explore "Forgotten Town' of Megara

ATHENS — The town of Megara, not far from here, is turning the tables on the Atheniaa critics of yore who ealled it the "town of . buffoons" and on modern arehaeologists- who have overlooked it. Long disregarded by the wielders of the pick-ax, Megara has once more come into the limelight through a number oi important.and interesting discoveries made recently by Greek arehaeologists. Investigations have uncovered part of the wall ; surrounding the Caria hill on which ancient Megara was built, established the fact that there was a period when the ' town waa under Koman . domination, brought to light mosaic pavihg, baths and Byzantine coins, and led the diggers on to - the possibility of discovering the. early temple of Megaron. ■■ ■. . . Traoed to Fifth Century B. C. In a grotto now, being excavatod, at the site where the temple is supposed to have stood, evidence indicates the building was erected on foundations dating back to the fifth century B. G. The. arehaeologists also- assert that more ancient temples will also be f ouud. The most , important first .digging made some 50 years ago at Magara laid bare a number of tombs aud the temple

of Zeus Aphessios. The digging operations were then suspended and were xesumed years after by German research workers who succeeded in bringing to light the famous fountain built by the tyrant Theagenes (630-600 B. C.) who as a patron of the arts had erecaed many public utility buildings and an aqueduct of great fame. Builders of Oolonies. The . Megarians have been considered a people who rendered very little service to art and natural science. Their main virtue xested in an ainbition to establish colonies on the B'osphorus (Byzantium). Most of the information about che Megarians has come from Athenian writ'es who have manifested their en* mity of them by describing them as a people famous for their clumsiness, immorality and buffoonery. Misled by the biased descriptions of Athenian writers, archaeglogists for long looked down upon Megara as an unimportant spot for the pickax. From 1910 to 1932 no digging was done. The main *aim of present excavr.tims is to bring to light the ruins of prohistoric Megara and so establish more clearly the relations of the town to ancient civilization.