One of the most
appealing sites of Paphos may well be the so-called “Tombs of the Kings,” although the name is very misleading. No king has
ever been buried in any of these underground tombs, but the place is impressive
all the same. I stumbled on this peculiar site quite by accident, surprised by
the name and location, hardly two kilometers from today’s town of Paphos.
The “Tombs of the Kings”
is an amalgam of underground tombs and burial chambers that create the feeling
of a small city – a city of the dead that is. It started to be used as early as
the 3rd century BC by Ptolemaic aristocrats and functioned till the 3rd century
AD. The burial practice continued into early Christianity when tombs became
chapels. Today it has been declared a World Heritage Site. The graves are
carved out of solid rock and show a definite Greek, if not Macedonian,
influence. The use of this style is not surprising since Cyprus was part
of Ptolemy’s heritage after Alexander the Great’s death. The
prosperous island (see: Focus on Paphos, Cyprus)
was subject to quarrels until the competitive Diadochi finally settled their
differences.
Some tombs appear like miniature houses with a central court
surrounded by Doric columns shading frescoed walls. Not all columns are fluted,
but the architraves and door lintels often are crowned with the typical frieze
of alternating triglyphs and metopes, including the regulae and guttae. In the courtyard and corridors walls, we find
niches meant to hold the remains of individual corpses. The space in between
the niches displays exciting reliefs. It is not difficult to mentally recreate
a lively picture of the costly grave goods and jewelry looted in ancient times.
Some of these villa-like constructions are rather elaborate, with arched
passageways and staircases running up and down. Originally most walls and tombs
were covered with stucco and enhanced with frescoes, of which many traces have
survived. It was customary to celebrate the anniversaries of the deceased loved
ones with a ceremonial meal, sharing the food with the dead. The custom was
common in antiquity, but here the practice creates a rather homely feeling.
One of the tombs has a large block left uncut in the middle of the
atrium, creating more niches. Archaeologists have counted 18 burial sites here,
all from Hellenistic times, and three of them were still intact. One of these
three contained the remains of a child buried in a terracotta pipe, while the
two other tombs revealed precious gifts like a gold myrtle wreath and a fine
amphora from Rhodes.
It is a highly unusual site and most definitely worth a visit!
No comments:
Post a Comment