Ancient Greek tomb dig finds marble statues

[Buster's Uncle]

Ancient Greek tomb dig finds marble statues
Associated Press
By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS and COSTAS KANTOURIS  20 hours ago



In this photo released on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014 by the Greek Culture Ministry, excavation staff work between two approximately life-sized female statues on a wall leading to a yet unexplored inner room of a huge underground ancient tomb, in Amphipolis, northern Greece. The tomb dates between 325 B.C. — two years before the death of ancient Greek warrior-king Alexander the Great — and 300 B.C. Archaeologists have also discovered two large marble sphinxes on the facade of the barrel-vaulted tomb, which was originally topped by a marble lion on a high plinth. It is not yet known who the tomb was built for, although Alexander himself was buried in Egypt. (AP Photo/Culture Ministry)



ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Archaeologists inching through a large 2,300-year-old tomb in northern Greece on Thursday uncovered two marble female statues flanking the entrance to one of three underground chambers, in another sign of the unusual attention and expense lavished on the unknown person buried there.

The dig has gripped the public imagination amid non-stop media coverage, which Greek archaeologists say is placing an unfair burden on the excavation team.

A Culture Ministry statement said the statues show "exceptional artistic quality." Their upper sections were discovered last week, but their bodies — clad in semi-transparent robes — emerged after part of a blocking wall was removed.

Less than half the tomb, which bears signs of having been plundered in antiquity, has been explored, and removing the tons of earth that fill it will take weeks. Although no burials have been found so far, the opulence points to some senior official linked with ancient Greek warrior-king Alexander the Great.

The barrel-vaulted tomb is among the biggest of its period in antiquities-rich Greece. Excavator Katerina Peristeri believes the mound was originally topped by a stone lion on a large plinth, found a few kilometers away 100 years ago, that was probably removed during Roman times. She has also voiced strong hopes that the site hasn't been looted.

Archaeologist Chryssoula Paliadelli, who is not involved in the excavation, told The Associated Press that the tomb has several exceptional features, including a monumental facade that leaves the top of the vault exposed above two large marble sphinxes.



This photo released on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014 by the Greek Culture Ministry shows two approximately life-sized female statues on a wall leading to a yet unexplored inner room of a huge underground ancient tomb, in Amphipolis, northern Greece. The tomb dates between 325 B.C. — two years before the death of ancient Greek warrior-king Alexander the Great — and 300 B.C. Archaeologists have also discovered two large marble sphinxes on the facade of the barrel-vaulted tomb, which was originally topped by a marble lion on a high plinth. It is not yet known who the tomb was built for, although Alexander himself was buried in Egypt. (AP Photo/Culture Ministry)


The excavation, on a hillock near ancient Amphipolis, 600 kilometers (370 miles) north of Athens, has dominated local news coverage for a month, since Prime Minister Antonis Samaras visited it and pre-empted archaeologists by releasing details on the findings.

A media blitz followed amid speculation that the tomb may contain buried treasure and the remains of an eminent figure — although Alexander himself was buried in Egypt. Dozens of tourists daily try to get a peek of the fenced-off site, and visitor numbers at the nearby Amphipolis museum have swelled.

Peristeri has dated the tomb to between 325 BC and 300 BC. Alexander conquered a vast area from modern Greece to India, enriching many of his close friends and commanders. His death in 323 B.C. was followed by upheaval as his generals fought over the empire.

Paliadelli, a professor at the University of Thessaloniki, said the media attention is greater than during the discovery in the late 1970s, in which she participated, of a rich unplundered tomb identified as that of Alexander's father, King Philip II of Macedonia in a royal cemetery 200 kilometers (125 miles) to the west.

"The media — television, the Internet — has developed so much," she said. "We worked at a much calmer pace, despite the pressure from the nature of the finds — that included wood and leather artefacts that required urgent conservation."



This graphic released on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014 by the Greek Culture Ministry, shows what Greek archaeologists have unearthed so far, working slowly and laboriously in a vast 4th Century BC underground tomb in Amphipolis, northern Greece, dating from the end of the reign of ancient Greek warrior-king Alexander the Great. Clockwise from top right, the photos show two headless, wingless marble sphinxes above the entrance to the barrel-vaulted tomb - which was originally blocked by a large wall - details of the facade and the lower courses of the blocking wall, the antechamber's mosaic floor, a 4.2-meter long stone slab whose lower surface was painted in blue, red and gold that is the sole survivor of several which originally roofed the first chamber, the upper uncovered sections of two female figures that decorated the wall opening onto the second chamber and was also blocked off, and the highest section of that wall that was found with a hole in its top left-hand corner. The second chamber and a third, not pictured, to the left, have not yet been explored. Archaeologists believe that, despite extensive signs of forced entry during antiquity, the tomb has not been plundered. The structure is 6.5 meters high inside, and was covered by a large earthen mound originally capped by a stone lion statue on a large plinth. There is no indication so far of who it was built for, with theories ranging from a senior military commander of Alexander's to a member of his family. Alexander himself, who died in 323 BC after carving out an empire from modern Greece to India, was buried in the city of Alexandria in Egypt, which he founded. (AP Photo/Culture Ministry)


The Association of Greek Archaeologists on Thursday criticized the Culture Ministry's approach to the media, which it said was tailored to "satisfying a public opinion hooked on facile sensationalism and over-consumption of television, print and online sub-products."

The site, set among almond groves and tobacco fields, has about 20 police providing a 24-hour guard to deter looters, who have plagued the area in the past.



This photo released on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014 by the Greek Culture Ministry, shows 60cm (2 foot) female figurines on a wall leading to the yet unexplored main room of an ancient tomb, in the town of Amphipolis, northern Greece. The tomb dates between 325 B.C. — two years before the death of ancient Greek warrior-king Alexander the Great — and 300 B.C. Archaeologists excavating a massive burial mound in northern Greece have found two marble sculptures of female figures and a large, colored marble panel in what appears to be the antechamber of the main room. (AP Photo/Culture Ministry)


Former antiquities guard Alekos Kochliaridis told the AP that robbers tried to excavate the mound in 1952, brazenly turning up in broad daylight with a mechanical digger.

"We local residents called the police and they chased them off," he said. "The whole surrounding area has plenty of holes left by illegal excavations."


http://news.yahoo.com/ancient-greek-tomb-dig-finds-marble-statues-173224082.html

[Buster's Uncle]

Female Stone Statues Revealed in Ancient Greek Tomb
LiveScience.com
by Megan Gannon, News Editor  3 hours ago



A wall of sealing stones was removed to reveal the robe-covered bodies of two caryatids.



Archaeologists have uncovered the expertly crafted robes of two female stone statues standing guard at the entrance of a huge Macedonian tomb, dating back to the era of Alexander the Great, under excavation in Greece.

Excavators got their first glimpse of the wavy-haired statues — known as caryatids — last weekend, when the stone heads and torsos were unearthed at the ancient burial complex known as Kasta Hill in Amphipolis, 65 miles (104 kilometers) east of Thessaloniki. Archaeologists had to remove a wall of sealing stones to reveal the rest of the statues' bodies.

Anyone who has visited the Acropolis in Athens and stood in front of the Erechtheion would be familiar with caryatids, or female statues that take the place of columns or pillars. Though carved from stone, the diaphanous robes of the caryatids at Amphipolis have "exceptional" folds, officials with the Greek Ministry of Culture said in a statement yesterday (Sept. 11).

The ongoing excavations at Amphipolis have been watched with excitement over the past several weeks. Two headless sphinxes were uncovered at the entrance of the huge burial mound, which is enclosed by a marble wall measuring some 1,600 feet (490 meters) in perimeter. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras toured the site last month and hailed it as an "extremely important discovery."

As archaeologists venture deeper into the tomb, clearing sealing stones and sandy soil, they have revealed traces of paint and frescoes on the walls and door frames. The excavators have also found mosaics, some made with black and white pebbles arranged in a diamond pattern.

The discovery of the caryatids, partially covered by a sealing wall, suggests Kasta Hill is "an outstanding monument of particular importance," officials with the Greek Ministry of Culture said in a statement earlier this week.

"The right arm of the western caryatid and the left arm of the eastern one are both outstretched, as if to symbolically prevent anyone attempting to enter the grave," the statement added.

Katerina Peristeri, the lead archaeologist on the project, has said the team believes the tomb dates back to the fourth century B.C. and was built by Dinocrates, Alexander the Great's chief architect. The excavators have been tight-lipped about who they think might be buried inside. Some experts have speculated that the tomb might belong to one of Alexander's generals or immediate family members. But it likely won't contain the body of Alexander the Great himself — historical accounts indicate he was buried in Alexandria, though his remains have never been found.


http://news.yahoo.com/female-stone-statues-revealed-ancient-greek-tomb-162009700.html