Piecing together the puzzle of Mycenaean Achaea

The Mycenaean chamber tomb cemetery of Agios Vasileios in Chalandritsa (Achaia), although discovered as early as in 1928 by Nikolaos Kyparissis, never underwent a systematic excavation or study. The recent study of all available data was mainly based on the results of rescue excavations that took place in the cemetery from 1989 to 2001, always under the shadow of looting. Despite the fragmentary character of this research, the evidence that came to light allows us to reconstitute a representative picture of the lives of the people who lived in the area and were buried in the cemetery of Agios Vasileios. The results indicate the existence of a flourishing community that developed in a privileged geographical location, fully integrated into the dense network of western Achaia settlements during the last three centuries of the Mycenaean period.