ANCIENT NEMEA SANCTUARY OF ZEUS KILNS Wedge divider (top) and separators (bottom) used in the kilns [TC 7,8,14,15] In the late 4th cntury BC, a complex of kilns was constructed. These structures were discovered in the area between the Oikoi and Xenon. These kilns seem to have been used exclusively for the manufacture of roof tiles of the 4th century Temple of Zeus, the Bath, the Xenon, the houses south of the Xenon, the Apodyterion, and presumably other buildings still to be discovered. Restored kiln chamber Xenon wall cutting through a kiln, viewed from the west The molded clay tiles, which were stacked in the upper firing chamber and separated by wedges and tripod-separators, were baked by the heat which rose up from the perforated floor beneath which was the stoking chamber. This chamber was accessible from the outside only by a passageway large enough for one person to crawl through. This extensive complex of four kilns shows, first, that there was a massive construction program in the final decades of the 4th century at Nemea -- the time when the games returned from Argos and such a building program would have been necessary. The kiln complex shows, secondly, that roof tiles were made on the spot for construction projects. This situation, though different from construction practices today, is logical in view of the problems of transport and breakage.   Early Temple of Zeus Sacred Grove Houses The Second Temple Oikoi Hero Shrine Reconstruction of the Second Temple Xenon Altar of Zeus Bath Top of Page   All materials from this site are copyrighted. Materials may be used with permission upon request. This web site was designed and developed by Susannah L. Van Horn; please direct comments and inquiries to: nemeaucb@berkeley.edu