An important Archaic and Classical-period cemetery has been brought to light during rescue excavations at the eastern foothills of the former Lake Copais in Viotia, northwest of Athens, the Ministry of Culture announced on Thursday.
Alongside the cemetery, archaeologists uncovered remains of a fortified settlement.
The burial ground is organized in distinct clusters and contains pit graves, funerary pyres, and tile-covered tombs. The 40 graves examined so far suggest the deceased belonged to a prosperous landowning elite.
Among the standout discoveries is the so-called “Lady with the upside-down diadem,” a woman aged 20–30 buried in the late 7th century BC. She wore a rare bronze diadem decorated with a wheel-shaped disc bearing a repoussé depiction of two confronting lions – deliberately placed upside down on her head, possibly symbolizing the turbulent political and social changes of the period. Her grave was richly furnished with jewelry and other offerings.
Nearby, the tomb of a four-year-old girl from the same Early Archaic phase yielded another diadem with inset discs and equally lavish grave goods.
Other notable finds include a mid-6th-century BC Siana-type kylix from a woman’s burial and black-figure pottery attributable to the local Acraephia workshop.
The excavation is being conducted by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Fthiotida and Evrytania under the direction of Efthymia Karantzali and Aristea Papastathopoulou.
The project is taking place in advance of the construction of a photovoltaic park by Metka (a subsidiary of Metlen Energy & Metals) and is fully funded by the Metlen group.
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