A large cist grave has been revealed underneath
the floor of the third chamber, with inside the grave proper. Inside and
outside this grave are the scattered bones of the deceased, mingled with
remains of a wooden coffin i.e. bronze and iron nails, apparently decorated
with glass and bone or ivory.
This news should make the headlines right away and
make everybody happy, yet the excitement is seriously tuned down by an
offsetting comment that “the genetic material will be transferred to a special
lab”. Well I hope so, to say the least, but nothing is being said if there are
indications as to whether this is a male or female, if there are any grave
goods that surrounded the remains as we would expect from any sizeable tomb.
The only comment is: wait.
It is obvious that this tomb has been looted in
the past, yet I find it strange that so much effort has been taken to refill
the three chambers after robbing this tomb from its supposedly wealthy gifts.
Considering the size of the mound (larger than the tumulus at Vergina),
the precious marble from Thasos used for its construction and the tall lion of Amphipolis
that once stood watch over it, I find this newly discovered tomb quite
disappointing. To have such a majestic entrance with the two sphinxes, the
elegant caryatids guarding the next chamber and the superb pebble mosaic floor,
one would expect something more than a bare grave of simple porous stone.
On the other hand, in its official communiqué,
the Greek Ministry of Culture states that geophysical studies will be carried
out to determine whether there are other tombs hidden under this mound as was
the case for the tumulus at Vergina.
This still leaves the matter of the staircase
mentioned only yesterday unanswered; and the possibility or not to find a
fourth chamber behind this third chamber remains anyone’s guess.
Once again, the official communiqué raises more questions than providing answers. Maybe the interviews planned for November 22 and 29 will shed more light on this mystery? Let’s hope so.
Once again, the official communiqué raises more questions than providing answers. Maybe the interviews planned for November 22 and 29 will shed more light on this mystery? Let’s hope so.
There is talk of a casket and inhumation, but could not be a burial of several people in cinerary urns as in this tomb ( http://www.news.gr/ellada/nea-ths-perifereias/article-wide/187155/amfipolh-o-tafos-sth-nea-kalindoia-enishyei-to-se.html ), very similar, where there were five. Cremation at this time leaving enough bone remains as seen in Vergina.
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