Archaeologists in Orchomenos, Viotia, have discovered the largest Mycenaean-era carved tomb ever found in Greece.
Archaeologists in Orchomenos, Viotia, have discovered the largest Mycenaean-era carved tomb ever found in Greece.
The Culture Ministry of Greece describes the discovery as “one of the largest Mycenaean carved chamber tombs ever found in Greece. " The chamber tomb's construction dates back to the middle of the 14th century B.C., and the skeleton of only one dead person was found in the tomb with all the grave goods.
The grave was found in the village of Prosilio, a Municipality of Livadeia, at the foot of Mount Akontio.
The tomb is said to be the size of a small house and belonged to a Bronze Age nobleman with an admiration for jewellery. According to the Culture Ministry, the 3,350-year-old chamber is an important centre of the Mycenaean era, which belonged to a man who was 40 to 50 years old when he died.
“Specifically, the tomb is the ninth-largest chamber out of roughly 4,000 excavated in the last 150 years,” the Culture Ministry said.
The 42-square-meter (452-square-foot) grave was only used once, and the nobleman's tomb contained pottery vessels sheathed in tin, bronze horse bits, jewellery, bow fittings and arrowheads, the Ministry added.
The tomb includes a large 42-metre-square death chamber with a 20-metre-long carved ‘road’ leading up to it. On all four chamber walls is a carved ledge covered in clay plaster.
Discovering this burial site will enable researchers to learn more about the region's burial practices during Mycenaean times.
Read about The overlooked beaches of Central Greece
