Ancient Elis (province of Elis) lies in the northwestern Peloponnese and extends over a broad, fertile alluvial plain on the south shore of the Peneios. As the capital city of the region of Elis, and due to its close connection to the panhellenic games held in neighbouring Olympia, the city of Elis attained outstanding importance.
It was precisely this importance which led to the decision of the OEAI to carry out a representative archaeological major project in Greece via the field research at Elis. In the field research, begun in 1910 by J. Keil and A. von Premerstein and continued from 1911 until 1914 by O. Walter, a topographical recording of the archaeological remains of the extensive city area was first carried out. With the discovery of the public centre of Elis - that is, the agora and the neighbouring theatre - which resulted from this research, the uncovering and analysis of the architectural development of this public centre was further developed by means of systematic surface excavation.
The excavations which were resumed in Elis after the Second World War were organized as a joint project under the leadership of the Greek Archaeological Society (N. Yalouris) with the participation of the sister-institute at Athens of the OEAI (V. Mitsopoulos-Leon). This field research, carried out between 1960-1981, continued on from the Austrian excavations and concentrated on the region of the agora and the theatre. At the agora, excavations were carried out in the area of the South Stoa and delivered decisive results concerning the stratigraphy and ground-plan of the stoa. The theatre excavations brought new insights into its architectural form, respectively, to its koilon (cavea). Deep sondages in this area, with the uncovering of 14 graves from the 11th century B.C. shed light on the early history of Elis in the "Dark Ages". The exposure of remains of hellenistic and Roman imperial houses in this area provided evidence for private domestic culture. Graves dating to the late imperial period and the remains of an early Christian basilica were indicative of the later usage of the excavated area.
Although field research has been suspended since 1981, Elis as before remains in the archaeological research interests of the OEAI in its sister-institute at Athens. The analysis organized by V. Mitsopoulos-Leon of the wide spectrum of finds from the older and more recent excavations, and the results obtained therefrom, are evidence of this continued interest.
For an assessment of the historical and topographical-settlement development of Elis in the period before the traditional new foundation in 471 B.C., the wide-ranging analysis of the graves and finds from the "Dark Ages" (B. Eder) is to be drawn on for the early period, while the evaluation of archaeological evidence (B. Eder, V. Mitsopoulos-Leon) and epigraphic material (P. Siewert) is to be drawn on for the geometric and archaic periods. As a result of this analysis, in contrast to ancient tradition, a continual settlement development is visible at Elis beginning already in the 11th century B.C. and lasting until the 5th century B.C.; a political dominance, in the sense of a central site, is thus apparent long before the so-called new foundation as a capital city.
The analysis of the findings from the late classical and hellenistic public centre is decisive for the further development of the city. Studies of the building finds enable the evaluation of the architectonic form and development of the agora and the theatre in the hellenistic period. The analysis of the material reveals, in addition to decisive chronological evidence, that the material culture of Elis was integrated within a supra-regional perspective.
The architectonic studies are concentrated on questions concerning the form and organization of the South Stoa (V. Mitsopoulos-Leon) and of the theatre (F. Glaser, V. Mitsopoulos-Leon). The studies of the material are on the one hand concerned with research into the contextual find groups, as for example the ceramic of the classical and post-classical period in general (V. Mitsopoulos-Leon) or the total spectrum of ceramic finds from the extensive levels of the South Stoa (R. Kastler). On the other hand, a series of individual find-types has been submitted in the form of individual studies, as for example a complex of figural terracottas (V. Mitsopoulos-Leon), red-figure ceramic (I. McPhee), amphora stamps from the levels of the South Stoa (C. Lepeniotis), hellenistic relief bowls, lamps, unguentaria, loomweights (C. Rogl), the tokens from the theatre in connection with comparable material from Olympia (H. Baitinger, B. Eder) and the inscriptions (R. Fleischer, P. Siewert).
For the modern visitor, the ruins of the theatre represent a unique impression of the public architecture of the site; the theatre, unusually, has an artificially built-up cavea without stone seats for the audience. In the museum of Elis (connected to the modern town of Gastouni), finds from the older and more recent Austrian excavations are displayed in addition to material from the Greek investigations.

Picture Captions
Fig. 1: Elis, Theatre. Excavation by O. Walter (OEAI Archive)
Fig. 2: Elis, Theatre (1988) (Photo G. Ladstätter)

Bibliography:
For the excavations, see the preliminary reports of J. Keil, A. v. Premerstein und O. Walter vgl. die vorläufigen Berichte in den ÖJh 14, 1911; 16, 1913 u. 18, 1915.
For the recent excavations, see the 13 preliminary reports of V. Mitsopoulos-Leon, ÖJh 45, 1960 bis 52, 1978-80.
V. Mitsopoulos-Leon - Ch. Schauer, Literaturübersicht zu den Grabungen des Österreichischen Archäologischen Instituts (Elis, Aigeira, Lousoi), in: V. Mitsopoulos-Leon (ed.), Hundert Jahre Österreichisches Archäologisches Institut Athen 1898-1998 (1998) 83 ff.
V. Mitsopoulos-Leon, Elis, in: 100 Jahre Österreichisches Archäologisches Institut 1898-1998, SoSchrÖAI 31 (1998) 182-185.
B. Eder, Die Anfänge von Elis und Olympia: zur Siedlungsgeschichte der Landschaft Elis am Übergang von der Spätbronze- zur Früheisenzeit, in: V. Mitsopoulos-Leon (ed.), Forschungen in der Peloponnes. Akten des Symposions der 100-Jahr-Feier des ÖAI Athen, 1998, SoSchrÖAI 38 (2001) 233-243.
B. Eder - V. Mitsopoulos-Leon, Zur Geschichte der Stadt Elis vor dem Synoikismos von 471 v. Chr., ÖJh 68, 1999, Beibl. 1-39.
F. Glaser, Das Theater von Elis und das Problem einer hölzernen Skene, in: V. Mitsopoulos-Leon (ed.), Forschungen in der Peloponnes. Akten des Symposions der 100-Jahr-Feier des ÖAI Athen, 1998, SoSchrÖAI 38 (2001) 253-256.
V. Mitsopoulos-Leon, Tonstatuetten aus Elis, ÖJh 70, 2001, 81-114.
B. Eder, Die submykenischen und protogeometrischen Gräber von Elis (2001).
P. Siewert, Zwei Rechtaufzeichnungen der Stadt Elis, in: V. Mitsopoulos-Leon (ed.), Forschungen in der Peloponnes. Akten des Symposions der 100-Jahr-Feier des ÖAI Athen, SoSchrÖAI 38 (2001) 245-252.