In the vicinity of the supposed site of the Odeon at the ancient city of Onchesmos (modern Saranda), in the summer of 2007, were undertaken small scale excavations. A single trench was dug to the rear of Saranda town hall. Extensive deposits of modern rubbish were removed including domestic refuse. Below this earlier levels of the town were exposed, including the substantial foundations of a large house of the early 20th century. The foundations cut yet earlier deposits and a number of in situ archaeological layers were identified which contained late antique and Roman period ceramics. The excavation was stopped when it became clear that the archaeological levels here were relatively intact and that there was probably a high degree of survival over the whole of the area. At first it seemed clear that the archaeological sequence here paralleled with that found at the Synagogue of Saranda with occupation apparently ceasing in the later 6th century. However, detailed examination of the ceramics identified a substantial element in the assemblage as being of early medieval date, 9th or 10th century. The most important aspect of this excavation has been to demonstrate the potential remaining in the archaeological horizons buried beneath modern Saranda. Not only do evidently useful antique deposits survive in situ, but the data they hold may shed fresh light on the transformation of the classical city into the middle Ages.