There were bridges at points where the river crossed the major road

arteries.
n the Inner Kerameikos can be seen the large
bridge that leads from the Sacred Way to the
Dromos, and in the Outer Kerameikos the
bridge over the Transverse Way. The latter is
build of thick stone slabs, on which broad carriage tracks can be seen.

Inside the Kerameikos, the river flows on the

surface, sustaining a unique ecosystem in the historical centre of Athens. This part of the Attic
landscape has been preserved thanks to the pro-tected status of the
archaeological site.Every spring the green toads succumb to the
reproductive urge and lay their eggs in the waters of the river

am Prince Puffy Cheeks, who always live

the lake honoured by the frogs, t whom I am
leader and guide. My lord Mud created me, as
he flirted and mated with the Water Princess
the banks of the Eridanos'
The river itself is host a rare species small
fish, the Mosquito fish, that somehow manage

survive n its meagre waters.

Aquatic plants (reed grasses and others) and
all kinds wild flowers grow its banks
springtime. The vegetation provides concealment for turtles, and the site echoes the twittering the birds that seek refuge here.
Shrubs and trees complete an idyllic setting n
which visitors soon forget that Ermou Street and
the bustle Pireos Street are close by, and feel
that they are still n the 'most fair suburb'.

The fauna f the Kermeikos

The archaeological sites of Greece have made

an effective contribution to the preservation of
the Greek fauna. t is no exaggeration to claim
that n many cases the fact that satisfactory populations of some species still survive is due to the
protection afforded them by enclosed archaeological sites. This is particularly true of sites that
are surrounded by densely built urban areas.
n these cases, the enclosed archaeological site
provides the only evidence available for the original, natural form of the landscape earlier ods. The natural heritage of the site includes
both the flora and the fauna, which provide it
with a further characteristic feature of its person-

ality and identity. When surrounding areas

are built and paved with cement and asphalt,
it is nly within the boundaries of the archaeological site that one can gain some idea of what
the natural environment used be.
Recognition of the importance of archaeological sites as refuges for the fauna of an area has
always been forthcoming. Often, and indeed
quite recently, views have been expressed that
concentrate solely the importance of these
sites to the display and promotion of the monuments contained in them.
The fauna, however, is also part of a country's
heritage, and existed long before man and his
cultural achievements. However, it has been kept
the background and at present it is shrinking
and ultimately disappearing, and part of the
identity of Greece is disappearing with it. How
can the ruins of Delos 1alysos be deprived of
their impressive lizards, the Agamas, known as
'little crocodiles' to local people? And how much
poorer the sactuar of l n Delos island
would be, if tl1ese lizards were longer there?
addition to its morill~ents, the Kerameikos
archaeological site also contains tlle bed of the
Eridanos and a number of pockets of vegetation.
The Eridanos stream watered the area ancient
times. Today, a]] that survives are the remains of

Eridanos bed which are effectively the only water

feature within tlle boundaries of the archaeological site. As such, they may still attract aquatic sects and play host a few Green Toads that live
close to them and depend water reproduce.
Certain species of birds find refuge amongst
the vegetation, and some of them even nest here.
The suitable nesting areas are few number, but
enough keep a few Sardinian Warblers
all the year round - perhaps l two three
pairs, which depend directly the existing vegetation, especially the shrubs. House Spanows,
contrast, nest buildings, the gaps of walls
and stone walls, where they buiJd their long

narrow nests
MAMMALS
Common Pipistrelle - Pipistrellus pipistrellus
Hedgehog - Erinaceus concolor

House Martin - Delichon bca

Blackbird - TurdLls merula
Olivaceous Warbler - Hippolais pallida
Sardinian Warbler - Sylvia melanocephala
Spotted Flycatcher - Muscicapa striata
Magpie - ca ca
House Sparrow - Passer domesticLls
REPTILES

Marginated Tortoise - TestLldo marginata

Hermann's Tortoise - Testudo hermanni
AMPHIBIANS
Green Toad - Bufo viridis
FISH
Mosquito Fish - GambLlsia affinis
BIRDS
Collared Doe - Streptopelia decaocto
This one of the most common and numerous
doves, that is found villages and towns. Along
with the House Sparrow, it is the commonest bird
thens. It iS known to Greeks as the dekochtoura, because its monotonous, melancholy
call seems to be repeating the Greek word
'dekaocI1to' (eigl1teen). It stays the same
region all year round and ncsts buildings, gardens and parks.
REPTILES
Marginated Tortoise - Testlldo mrgint
This is the largest species of tortoise found in
Greece, including the Kerameikos archaeologi
cal site, where it is abundant during spring and
summer.
Apart from Attica, where it is the commonest
tortoise, this species is distributed over large
areas of Greek mainland, from Katerini n the
north-east to Igoumenitsa n the north-west.
The northernmost limit of itsdistibution

appears to be Mounts Olympos, Vourinos and

Vermion. In the south, it is found central
Greece, aIong tlle coast of the Euboic, Saronic
and Corinthian gulfs, in Boeotia, Euboea,
Attica and the PeIoponnese, the Sporades
islands, the islands of the Argosaronic gulf,
some of the Cyclades, and, n the east Aegean,
61. gnated Toltoise - TesttIdo maginata
. Lesvos and Chios. Several popu!ations t
been introduced by humans, mostly
islands.
AMPHIBIANS
Amphibians are dependent n surface water
order to reproduce. nly one species of amphibian is to be found the Kerameikos archaeological site, and the preservation of the Eridanos
bed its present form is therefore of great importance to the survival of the albeit shrunken
population of Green Toads. It is possibly the
most characteristic and familiar animal the
site.
FISH
Mosquito Fish - Gambusia affinis
This fish belongs to the family Poecilidae, which
consists of small species. Some of these lay eggs
and others are viviparous. The Mosquito Fish is
one of the smallest species of the family, and the
fema!e is considerably larger than the male. The

ana! fin of the male is well-developed and it uses

it as a copulatory organ. The Mosquito Fish is
soft coloured, and usually appear to be transparent. It lives on insect larae and is a great natura!
enemy of mosquitoes, and has therefore been
introduced into many parts of the world to combat malaria. From its original home in America
(south-eastern areas of North Amerika), it has at
different times been introduced into many countries, including Greece. Only this foreign species
of fish appears now to surire n the bed of the
Eridanos.

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Blackbird - TurdLls merula
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- Muscicapa striata
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- Passer domesticLls

Marginated Tortoise - TestLldo marginata

Testudo hermanni -

Toad - Bufo viridis

FISH
Mosquito - GambLlsia affinis

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