Greek archaeologists have made remarkable discoveries in a mysterious tomb since August. The burial chamber itself has not yet been reached, but the beautiful statues and mosaics indicate that a particularly important figure from the time of Alexander the Great is buried there.
The Kasta Tomb (also known as the Amphipolis Tomb, after the ancient Greek city to which it is located) was discovered by Greek archaeologists in 2012. It is a tomb from the third century BC, when the Macedonian king Alexander the Great conquered large parts of the then known world in a short time. An important Macedonian nobleman is undoubtedly buried in the tomb. Possibly someone from Alexander's direct environment. At this point, the researchers are carefully working their way into the fourth, posterior chamber of the tomb. This is the room that probably contains a grave.
Lion and chimera
The Kasta Tomb is the largest burial monument from the ancient Greek world that archaeologists have ever discovered. Because it is considerably larger and more imposing than the tomb of Alexander's father Philip II of Macedon, there was speculation after its discovery that it may have been the tomb of Alexander the Great himself. would go. That would be a discovery of great historical importance, because the tomb of this Macedonian king and conqueror has strangely never been found. However, the chance is small, as there is no historical evidence that Alexander was buried in Amphipolis. The archaeologists do say that the design of the tomb is strongly reminiscent of the work of Dinocrates of Rhodes, the court architect and technical advisor to Alexander.
The entrance to the tomb, at the bottom of a staircase of thirteen steps, is guarded by two beautifully designed marble sphinxes, or Chimaera; monstrous mythical creatures with the head of a lion, wings of an eagle and sometimes the tail of a serpent. In the ancient Greek world, they reflect the power and honor of these mighty animals. A stone lion over 5 meters high once stood on top of the tomb. However, it was moved in the last century. This kind of majestic lion statues are more often found in Greek funerary monuments of important generals.
The door to the tomb, at the bottom of the stairs and hidden behind a masonry wall, turned out to be intact and sealed. This makes it unlikely that grave robbers have been inside, allowing the archaeologists to examine everything in its original state. The first room, directly behind the door, is a decorated entrance. The floor consists of a simple but beautiful mosaic and the walls are also beautifully finished. The back wall of the room turned out to be marked by two beautiful caryatids, female statues used as pillars. They are both 2.27 meters high and 1.68 meters apart. Paint remnants indicate that the caryatids were originally red.
On the way to the realm of the dead
Between the caryatids is a door to a second room. In this room, to their surprise, the archaeologists found a beautiful mosaic. The mosaic is without a doubt the highlight of the excavation so far. It consists of black, white, gray, blue, red and yellow stones and covers the entire floor of the second room. The artwork shows a chariot with two white horses and two male figures. One man, the rider of the chariot, has a beard and wears a laurel wreath, the distinguishing mark of a triumphant general. The second figure is the Greek god Hermes, who shows the chariot and its rider the way to the underworld.
A new door leads to a third room, which archaeologists are currently investigating. So far this room seems less spectacular than the second room with the mosaics. In the back wall of the third room there is at least a narrow door, which presumably leads to a fourth room, possibly the burial chamber.
In the coming months, the archaeologists hope to be able to enter the burial chamber. If the archaeologists can find out who rests in this particularly grand tomb, it will certainly provide new insights into Macedonian times. In any case, the Greeks have already submitted a request to UNESCO to designate the tomb as a world heritage site.