The kind of burial site which Alexander’s soldiers could afford

Derveni, located within the Thessaloniki prefecture, has revealed many treasures over the years. Today, the time is right to stop at a Macedonian burial monument that is now made accessible to the public.

[Picture from The Greek Reporter]

The tomb is not a recent discovery as it was found in 1910 shortly before the end of the Ottoman occupation of the city. Because of this political situation, the burial monument was left unattended and suffered from one hundred years of wear and tear.

Finally, in 2011 the restoration project got underway. The tomb that carries the Ottoman name of Makridis Bey, dates from the end of the 4^th/beginning of the 3^rd century BC. A 15-meter long corridor leads to the monumental façade in Ionian style giving access to the burial chamber with a marble sarcophagus. The monument measures 10x8 meters and reveals an exceptional architecture.

Archaeologists have determined that the tomb was built by wealthy veteran soldiers of Alexander the Great who returned home after their service in the east and the death of their king. This is not the first burial monument of its kind that has been found in Macedonia and commissioned by a veteran soldier who made his fortune. It will be interesting to see what it really looks like, wouldn’t it?