The Other Macedonian Tombs of Ampipolis

The Macedonian type tombs of Amphipolis, although more than fifty years have passed since their discovery, remain unknown to the wider public.

By Aris Mendizis

Source: Χρονόμετρο, 26.10.2014 (Translated by A.M.)

Accross from the eastern side of the ancient city of Amphipolis, on the first slopes of the sacred mountain of antiquity, mount Pangeum, another six Macedonian tombs of excellent quality were discovered and excavated by Demetrios Lazaridis, giving much and useful information about this great urban centre of antiquity.

These Macedonian type tombs are six in number and are situated just south of the Hellenistic cemetery, where the same archaeologist excavated over 400 tombs, and North-West of the ancient walls. In his book on Aphipolis, the excavator Demetios Lazaridis, gives much information about six of these funerary constructions, showing that they were special at the time of their creation.

The arched corridor of the Tomb no 1

Macedonian Tomb 1

Concerning the "Macedonian Tomb 1", as it was named , it was discovered in 1960 and is covered by an artificial mound. It is comprised of an arched corridor 5.30 m in length and 1.60 m wide, an antechamber and a main chamber Unfortunately in this tomb the ceiling has caved in over the antechamber and the main chamber. It is worth noting that the total length of this tomb is 11.30 m and, up to the discovery of the funerary construction in the "Kastas" hill, it was the largest known tomb of Amphipolis. On the right hand side of the antechamber there is a funerary litter built of limestone blocks. In the main chamber a further two such beds were found at a right angle to each other. These two litters were covered in lime stucco decorated in bright colours. On the legs of the bed and on its upper part, according to D. Lazaridis, Dionysian figures are depicted, seated on rocks or reclining on the ground holding thyrsoi, small lions, altars etc. Rosettes and various other geometric, for the most part, shapes cover the legs of the beds.

The funerary biers of Macedonian Tomb 1, as they were exhibited in the Kavala Museum.

The offerings that accompanied the dead woman in this  tomb were rich. They included two large gold rings with coloured stones that bear engraved figures, a gold wreath of olive-leaves, flowers and leaves made of gold-leaf, a pair of golden ear-rings that end in lionheads, a golden obol [sic] bearing the head of Hercules in a lion skin, a silver mirror, various pots and a pyxis. The paintings on the beds were recorded and then transported to the Museum of Kavala, where they were exhibited until a few years ago, in a representation of a funerary chamber in the Amphipolis hall. This important tomb, according to its excavator, is dated to the 3rd century B.C.

Macedonian Tomb 2

Close to the previous tomb, to the south-east another Macedonian Tomb was discovered in 1961, below a tumulus. This tomb is built with lime blocks and comprises of a corridor of 6.28 m length and 1.36 m. width and of a funerary chamber measuring 3.06 m X 3.08 m covered with an arched ceiling. Part of the corridor is also covered with limestone slabs.

In the funerary chamber one can enter via an entrance 1.25 m wide. On the western and the northern side there are funerary litters forming a right angle, made of limestone blocks. Unfortunately the were partially destroyed by grave-diggers who violated the tomb. From the few ceramic finds that were discovered on the floor of the chamber, the tomb is probably to be dated to the second half of the 3rd century BC.

The entrance and corridor of Macedonian Tomb 2

The covered corridor and the entrance to the funerary chamber of Macedonian Tomb 2.

Macedonian Tomb 3

Yet another especially important tomb of the Macedonian type, which is situated on the "Kastas" Hill, which has lately come into the limelight. Despite all the interest however, few know that on this hill a second, albeit smaller, Macedonian tomb is to be found.

This tomb was discovered in 1960, during extensive research carried out by D. Lazaridis on the hill, but unfortunately it had been opened and partially destroyed. This tomb comprises of an antechaber and a funerary chhaber and is 9m long and 3.07 m wide. It is dated to the 3rd century BC.

It was carved into the lining rock and its walls are covered with limestone blocks, of which only the lower row is preserved. The lower parts of the walls are covered in plaster mimicking marble slabs.

It is interesting that the floor of the antechamber was covered with a mosaic decorated with multicolour lozenges, while the floor of the main chamber was separeted into three zones of deep red and yellow colour. On the northern part the floor had been broken to create a second tomb apart from the first tomb which was situated on the far wall of the main chamber. The walls of the two tombs were covered in brightly coloured plaster, such as red, yellow, black, white etc, while in one of them there was a decoration of flowers, plants, birds, vases etc. The mosaic and the wall-paintings were removed to be preserved.

The Mosaic Floor of Macedonian Tomb 3

Macedonian Tomb 4

It is worth noting the near this tomb yet another Macedonian type tomb was discovered, in which many pyxis were discovered, as well as two ceramic statuettes, various bronze and glass objects and a gold ring.

Macedonian Tomb 5, aka "Tomb of the Doctor"

On the eastern outer side of the walls of Amphipolis, near the little church of Agios Nikolaos, another cemetery of the late Hellenistic and Roman period was located in 1959. In it another tomb of the Macedonian Type was unearthed, dating to the Roman period.

It comprises of a corridor 3 m long and a funerary chamber measuring 2.55 m X 3.55 m, in the three walls of which five alcoves are to be found. On the lintel of the tomb an inscription was discovered mentionaing that it was the tomb of the doctor Sextus Iulius Haritonos (Σέξτου Ιουλίου Χαρίτωνος) and is dated to 74 AD.

Macedonian Tomb 6

In the cemetery to the North-West of ancient Amphipolis D. Lazaridis discovered yet another Macedonian Type tomb in 1960, which comprises of a corridor 5.30 m in length and 1.58 m wide, and a funerary chamber measuring 2.90 m X 3.08 m. Its entrance was sealed with a rough wall of limestone blocks.

In the floor of the corridor, at a distance of 2.15 m from the entrance, a circular hole of unknown use was discovered, having a diameter of 55 cm and a depth of 40 cm. In the tomb six burials were discovered. The four where on the floor and two in alcoves that had been made for this purpose. Among the finds were vases; two strigils, a pair of gold ear-rings, a gold ring, a glass multicoloured vase, a bronze mirror etc. The tomb is dated by the excavator to the middle Hellenistic period.

The sealed entrance of the Macedonian Tomb 6, as found during excavation

Sources of teh Photographs: 

Photographs 1,2,3,4 : Δ. Λαζαρίδη, Αμφίπολις, Εκδόσεις Ταμείου Αρχαιολογικών Πόρων και Απαλλοτριώσεων, Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού, Αθήνα 1993 [D. Lazaridis, Amphipolis, Ministry of Culture, Athens 1993.]

Photographs 5,6 : Δ. Λαζαρίδη, «Ανασκαφαί και έρευναι Αμφιπόλεως», Πρακτικά της εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρίας, Απόσπασμα του έτους 1960, Αθήνα 1965 [D. Lazaridis, "Excavations and Researches of Amphipolis", Praktika of the Archaeological School in Athens, 1960, Athens 1965.]

The Eclosure of a tumulus comes to light in Amphipolis.

It may be the grave of the wife and son of Alexander the Great.

Source: To Vima, 04.10.2012 [Translated from the Greek Original]

A circular enclosure, of a height of three meteres, with a perimeter that is calculated to be 500 meters, surrounds the toumba (the tumulus), that is situated in an agricultural area near Amphipolis of Serres, as the head of the 28th Ephorate of Antiquities, mrs Katerina Peristeri, declared.

The Kastas toumba, as it is called, has been known since 1965, but now for the first time its excavation was decided, without, however, having secured the necessary funding, resulting only in the partial uncovering of the verily impressive enclosure wall. There is a log way to go before the dig proceeds to a greater depth to verify the existence of burials and to explore and seek elements that will prove to whom these belong.

In Amphipolis, however, it would seem that they are in a hurry, both the Ephorate of Antiquities and the local authorities, who decided in advance that it belongs to well-known persons, Roxane, the wife of Alexander the Great and their son, Alexander IV.

According to history Roxane did indeed go to Macedonia after the death of Alexander, where she and her twelve-year-old son were murdered; but whether they were buried in Amphipolis, were according to one version they had been exiled, that belongs to the sphere of myth and not science.

“This is an enclosure wall that is one of a kind, as nor in Vergina nor elsewhere in the Hellenic area exists anything similar”, declared mrs Peristeri and no one can deny this. But the hurry to identify it with historical persons, as well as the fact that this excavation does not have a foreseeable future in these financially difficult times, can only be characterised unscientific.

A.M. Comment:

The article seems to be biased against mrs Peristeri. Neither in the declaration published here nor in her other public statements on the state TV does she mention specific “historical persons”. All she does is to point out the exceptional nature of the site. What the unnamed “local authorities” claim the site to be is of no consequence, and it is bad journalism to amalgamate the two.

In short the unsigned article has the smell of an archaeologist’s feud, something all too common in Greek archaeology… This should not, however, subtract from the fact that the Kastas toumba appears to be an extremely promising site which we hope will one day be properly explored and excavated.

The Tomb of Aeneia (Nea Michaniona, Thessalonike, Macedonia, Greece)

The Tomb of Aeneia
By Vicky Charisopoulou
Source: Ta Nea, 05.08.2011

In the centre of the great hall of the permanent exhibitions of the Archaeological Musem of Thessalonike an entire tomb has been placed. It is well worth the effort to climb the two steps to the elevated floor that surrounds it to look into its interior, hidden from view for 2300 years. The tomb was removed in its entirety during the excavations of the toumba on the south shores of the peninsula of Megalo Emvolo or Karabournou, to the NW of modern Nea Michaniona of Thessalonike. The area has been identified based on information given by Herodotus and Livy as the ancient city of Aeneia. The poros cist grave (named by archaeologists "of Aeneia") was found intact. Its interior is painted, its walls covered with murals of excellent quality (a multy-colour decoration band running along the four sides with plants, flowers, doves, ribbons) and personal items of the young woman were found inside. The burial is dated to 250-325 B.C.

The your aristocrat (judging by the finds) rested for 2300 years accompanied by her entire boudoir. The visitor can immerse himself into the exploration of the symbols that decorate the multy-coloured decoration that runs around the entire tomb. The burial symbols - doves, pine-combs and flowers - and the objects of everyday life (crown, ribbons, bust of a woman, case for toiletry goods) provide an excellent ensemble for painting of the 4th century B.C., one of the earliest in Macedonia. The are indicative of the luxurious life style and of the religious beliefs of the young aristocrat.

The town of Aeneia (modern Nea Michaniona) was named after its founder Aeneas, the legendary hero of Troy, son of the goddess Aphrodite and of Anchises. When, after the ten-year siege Troy was conquered by the Greeks, Aeneas smuggled his old father out of the city, carrying his on his shoulders. His left his home followed by his wife Creousa (daughter of the king of Troy Priam and of Hecuba) and their children, including his daughter Anthemone, after whom the town of Anthemous (Anthemusias) was named.

The final destination of the journey was Latium, in modern Italy, but Aeneas was forced to stop on modern Megalo Karabourbnou. Here, having buried his father who did not survive the journey, he built the city of Aeneia. Since then what is now know as Megalo Karanournou (t.n.: Karabournou is its Turkish name) was named Aeneia Akra and Ainaion Akroterion (t.n. Peninsula of Aenea).

Aeneas continued his journey to Italy, but his wife Creousa with their son Askanius and their daughters remained in the newly-founded city, where she reigned until her death.

Athens: Buried in a haste...

Ancient texts, combined with cutting-edge and innovative technology explain and date the find.
An image of panic, expressed with an unheard-of treatment of the dead, the stacking of the dead in a pit.

Vase with an original scene showing two children playing: they are holding straps at the end of which a ball-like object is tied.

These dead, the anonymous, simple inhabitants of Athens, who did not enjoy the care of their dearest and nearest, the polis collected them and buried them. They are the ones who, abandoned, lie dead on the streets and in the sanctuaries. The city decides to make a public funeral, quickly and in a cursory manner, at the edge of the main cemetery, at Kerameikos. A burial which, maybe for the first time, did not aim at honouring the dead, but at the protection of public health".

An archaeological presentation does not usually provoke emotions, as it speaks of things belonging to the distant past. However, the presentation by Efi Baziotopoulou-Valavani at the Archaeological Society of Athens contained many touching descriptions of the so-called "Plague Grave" which was uncovered at the Kerameikos.

The ancient texts, combined with modern archaeological techniques and ground breaking interdisciplinary methods, gave the dating and the explanation for the grave that was found on the edge of the ancient cemetery by mrs Baziotopoulou-Valavani and mrs Drakotou-Tsirigoti. It is a grave for the dead of the plague that struck Athens during the early years of the Peloponnesian War. A scientific team including Manolis Papagrigorakis, Philippos Synodinos and Christos Giapitzakis, examined the teeth of the deceased and discovered that typhoid fever was a cause of the plague of Athens, either exclusively or combined with another, still unknown, epidemic element.

"The first burials appeared on the eastern arc of the pit at a depth of 4.30 meters. Immediately below these, with no interposed earth, a second layer of dead was found, with no certain orientation. The discovery of stacked layers of dead continued, with the bodies buried randomly, with a tendency to be placed in the centre of the pit towards the edges. It is interesting that 8 burials in vases with no offerings of infants were placed among the dead of the uppermost layer? These small children were buried as in vases, covered with large bits of unpainted amphoras, a burial practice that differentiated them from the rest of the dead".

"The last speletons followed the outline of the pit, and covered every empty space, so that some were placed in a slanting position, almost standing or bent over" said mrs. Baziotopoulou-Valavani. "It is probable that in the centre the dead were stacked one on top of the other, creating a human hill, which was, of course covered by a mound of earth. The burial of an estimated 130-150 men, women and children was completed with cursory funeral honours".

The grave goods of this mass grave are few compared with the number of the dead, appraximately 30. Among them part of a chous , a usual offering for infant burials, with a representation of a child sitting in a little cart. The face of the little driver has deep eyes, a pronounced nose and a strong chin. A second chous bears the original scene of two children playing, holding straps, at the end of which a ball-like object is tied. The children probably swirled the strap to launch the ball to a distance. Two small matleser dogs at the bottom of the scene, participate in the game.

15 white lekythoi were found in the mass grave.

Source: Angeliki Kotti, Ethnos, 02.03.2010.
akotti@pegasus.gr

Vergina: New Royal Tombs?

Traces of Royal dead
A silver Urn, similar to that of the Prince of the Great Mound of Vergina, and an extremely rare and maybe even unique silver panathenian amphora was brought to light by the archaeological excavations in the agora of Aigai.

The silver panathenian amphora.

It should be noted that in the same area the team of archaeologists, lead by the professor of Archaeology of the Aristoteleian University of Thessolonike, Chrysouls Paliadeli, had found during the summer of 2008 a valuable grave ensemble.

The bronze container that enclosed the golden ostuary

According to mrs Paliadeli, these finds belong to important graves within the walls of the old capital of the ancient Macedonians, dated to the first years of the rule of Kassander.

This is combined with the exceptional quality of the objects that make up the two burial ensembles - which are close to each other. The objects are closely comparable to the grave goods found in the rest of the royal tombs of the Great Mound, confirming that these too are royal graves.

When the first burial was discovered, during the summer of 2008, it had been identified by mrs Paliadeli as that of Herakles, the son of Alexander the Great and Barsina, who had been murdered by order of Kassander.

The Professor of the Aristoteleian University declares that she is convinced that the two rich burial ensembles from the Agora of Aigai are parts of the same burial proceedure, as they were located at the same depth, at a small distance from each other.

Source: Ethnos, 12.03.2010