Abstract

Three architectural members made of tufa, found by chance in the region of ancient Abdera, are published in this study. They revive the type of the Ionic capital in antis, known at Didyma and on Samos. They consist of three semicylindrical horizontal elements placed one above the other, with a leaf-and-dart profile, the ends of which correspond with three volutes superimposed on the sides of the capitals. Capitals of this type generally adorn the antae of altars in Π, but also other structures. Two of the capitals from Abdera adorned with three-leaf palmettes between the volutes are incomplete and probably constituted a pair: the form of the volutes implies a date about 480 BC. The third capital combines Archaic, conservative features with later ones and may be dated about 460 BC. The workmanship of the back of these capitals, the construction details, and the lack of excavation data can not suggest a safe relation to altars or other buildings.