A 3 000 year-old tomb found
March 05 2008 at 08:22PM
Athens - Greek archaelogists have unearthed a 3 000 year-old tomb
from
the Mycenaean civilisation on an island never before thought to have
connections to the people, officials said on Wednesday.
The tomb was discovered on the island of Lefkada as part of a
road-widening project, and is thought to date from between 1580-1100 BC.
"This is an im****tant discovery concerning the pre-history of
Western
Greece and the Ionian Islands because it adds a new site to the Mycenaean
map," a statement from the Greek ministry of culture said.
No previous evidence of the Mycenaean civilisation had been found on
Lefkada "and the discovery of this tomb gives a whole new dimension to our
research," the statement added.
The vault contained numerous sepulchres, fragments of terracotta
vases, pearls and other archaelogical finds.
The Mycenaeans originated in the ancient Greek town of Peloponnese
before spreading throughout the eastern Mediterranean, from Cyprus to
Crete
to Rhodes and Troy in Asia Minor. - Sapa-AFP
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=588&art_id=nw20080305200145596C757016
Ancient Tomb Found on Greek Island
By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS - 5 hours ago
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Road construction on the western Greek island of
Lefkada has uncovered and partially destroyed an im****tant tomb with
artifacts dating back more than 3,000 years, officials said on Wednesday.
The find is a miniature version of the large, opulent tombs built by the
rulers of Greece during the Mycenaean era, which ended around 1100 B.C.
Although dozens have been found in the mainland and on Crete, the
underground, beehive-shaped monuments are very rare in the western Ionian
Sea islands, and previously unknown on Lefkada.
The discovery could fuel debate on a major prehistoric puzzle - where the
homeland of Homer's legendary hero Odysseus was located.
"This is a very im****tant find for the area, because until now we had next
to no evidence on Mycenaean presence on Lefkada," excavator Maria
Stavropoulou-Gatsi told The Associated Press.
Stavropoulou-Gatsi said the tomb was unearthed about a month ago by a
bulldozer, during road construction work.
"Unfortunately, the driver caused significant damage," she said.
She said the tomb contained several human skeletons, as well as smashed
pottery, two seal stones, beads made of semiprecious stones, copper
implements and clay loom weights. It appeared to have been plundered
during
antiquity.
With a nine-foot diameter, the tomb is very small compared to others, such
as the Tomb of Atreus in Mycenae, which was more than 46 feet across and
built of stones weighing up to 120 tons.
But it could revive scholarly debate on the location of Odysseus' Ithaca
mentioned in Homer's poems - which are believed to be loosely based on
Mycenaean-era events. While the nearby island of Ithaki is generally
identified as the hero's kingdom, other theories have proposed Lefkada or
neighboring Kefallonia.
Stavropoulou-Gatsi said the discovery might cause excitement on Lefkada
but
it was too soon for any speculation on Odysseus.
"I think it is much too early to engage in such discussion. The location
of
Homer's Ithaca is a very complex issue," she said.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hKpApRGxT8qBnYKipgBF9jET7xdwD8V7EU480
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