Ito, Juko
family grave must have strongly attracted public eyes by their location, form and sculptural decoration.
Fig. 7 Southward view from the Propylon. Entrance to Fig. 8 3D CG view of the reconstructed Grave
the West Stoa on the left and three graves on the right. Monument III from southeast on the street.
5.3
Anoiner eye-caicning puiuaing on tne sueet was ine urave Monument III (Fig. 8), which was located farthest from the
Propylon. It was 4.5 m square and 3 m high to the eaves but its roof was concave and conical with a Corinthian capital
and a sculpture on its top, reaching to the height of ca.10 m. The peculiar combination of its square plan and round roof
was unique and probably the oldest example as a form of grave monument. This grave particularly would have attracted
public attention who passed the Propylon and would have aroused visitors’ curiosity. They would have read the
inscriptions on the wall to make sure whose grave it is and admired the family’s wealth and fortune. Fig. 8 is the most
probable reconstruction with our detailed study of the blocks, of which approximately 90 percent remains.
5.4 Whole View of the Stadion from its north end
The view of the Stadion with 19 rows of seats was grandiose against the Messenian plane which spreads toward south
(Fig. 9). The seats were arranged in U-shape, and its southern half seats might not have been constructed because there
can be found no blocks for the seats. We reconstructed the seats as slope of earth like that of Olympia. At the south end
of the Stadion and on the city wall was seen the Heroon. From the viewpoint of townscape it worked as an eye-stop for
the audience in the Stadion.
Fig. 9 Southward view of the Stadion. On the east (or Fig. 10 View of the Heoon high up on the city wall
left) side were some special seats for important persons from the race truck.
of the city. On the very end was the Heroon.
5.5 View of the Heroon
The Heroon, thought to be dedicated to Aristomenes, a Messenian hero, and dated to late Hellenistic, was surveyed and
reconstructed by Prof. Cooper, an American archaeologist of University of California, as a Doric temple with four
columns in front (Fig. 10). It was standing high at the top of the city wall just at the south end of the Stadion, and this
398 International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXIII, Part B5. Amsterdam 2000.