During the rescue excavations carried out since 2024 by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Eastern Attica as part of the archaeological sub-project of the project “Arrangement – ​​Delimitation of the Rafina Stream”, an extremely important burial in a pit was discovered, dating back to the Early Bronze Age (3200–2000 BC).

The pit had been placed in a pit dug in the clay soil of the southern bank of the stream. It is 1.74 m high, bears horizontal handles in the belly zone, as well as the characteristic rope-like relief decoration around the neck and handles. Its mouth was sealed by a strong semicircular wall made of river pebbles, while two large stones with smaller slabs between them formed false doors to the interior of the vessel with pilasters and a threshold. Inside, on a layer of sand and pebbles, bones of two people were found, covered by large stones that occupied almost all the available space. The offerings include bronze forceps, an oval slab stone (table), obsidian points and vessels. The special care in the formation of the monument reflects the respect for the dead. This isolated burial, despite the existence of organized cemeteries of the same period at Tsepi and Mati Marathonas, Agios Kosmas of Hellinikon and Asteria of Glyfada, offers valuable evidence for the variety of burial customs of the 3rd millennium in Attica, as well as for Cycladic and eastern influences.

At a distance of about 2 m. southeast of the pit, a large circular pit with long-term use and traces of burning was identified. In its upper part, a bucranium was found together with pottery and bronze coins of historical times, while near the bottom, on a thick layer of burning, an equine skeleton and bones of smaller animals were discovered. The archaeological study, combined with zooarchaeological and natural science analyses, is expected to shed light on possible ritual practices involving animal sacrifices, as well as the timeless sanctity of the site.

Seventy-five years after the discovery by Dimitrios Theocharis of the Early Bronze Age settlements in the area of ​​the old port (El. Venizelos Square) and on the Askitario peninsula, the recent findings on the banks of the stream offer new data on the social organization and posthumous perceptions of the communities of Rafina.