Another Macedonian tomb is being revealed, this
time in ancient Pella .
Sadly it opens to the public only until November 2015. Macedonia , as I
found out over the decennia, is extremely rich in tombs and very well preserved
ones for that matter. Yet since the financial crises started in 2011 most of
them are closed to the public, so maybe you should rush out to see at least
this new one while it is accessible?
This new tomb definitely stands out as it is
the largest rock-cut tomb in all of Greece and counts as many as eight
chambers, whereas usually there are only one or two chambers. It has been
determined that this was a family tomb used without interruption from the 4th
century BC till the second century BC.
It seems to be a very moving place to visit as
the lighting inside gives the visitor the impression that he is descending into
Hades. The entrance leads into a central rectangular chamber surrounded by
openings in the walls where the dead could be laid to rest. These walls are
plastered and painted in bands of black, blue, red and white, whereas the
ceiling is in white.
It is not surprising that this tomb has been
looted several times in the past, but it is not entirely stripped.
Archaeologists recovered for instance three inscribed stelae, several clay
vessels and figures, jewelry, as well as bits of a gold-plated wreath; copper
coins, the usual fare of the dead to the underworld, were also found.
Archaeologists even deciphered the name of “Antigone, daughter of Aeneas” on a
relief in the hallway. The additive ΗΡΩΙΣΣΗ after
the name of the deceased indicates that we are dealing with a hero, a very
common qualification in Hellenistic times. The relief shows Antigone with her maid holding a jewelry
box and has been dated to the first quarter of the third century BC, although
the inscription seems to have been added at a later date, probably in the first
half of the 2nd century BC.
More information about the occupants has been
discovered as in the western wall, where an altar stone reveals the name of Nikostratos from Boeotia ,
daughter of Pythonos. This means that
people from other regions had settled in Pella .
The top of another marble stele carries the name of Kleonikis, daughter of Nikomachou. Some of the small figures that
were unearthed here seem to indicate that one or more children were buried
here. It can be concluded that the tomb belonged to a wealthy family, although
the bone remains are too scant and in a too bad state of conservation to confirm
their relationship.
Towards the end of the third century BC Macedonia was
economically on its decline, a tendency that is clearly reflected in this tomb.
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