Greek Village Abuzz After Discovery Of Tomb Dating Back To Era Of Alexander The Great

AMPHIPOLIS (Greece) (AFP) – To the villagers near the ancient Greek town of Amphipolis, archaeological treasure is nothing new — many in this area have lived off antiquity smuggling for decades. But a massive tomb unearthed near the town dating back to the era of Alexander the Great has locals and visitors abuzz like never before. “The mystery hiding behind this discovery has excited our imagination,” says Katerina Arabatzi, who drove from the nearby city of Veria to see the tomb. “In recent days, we have started to remember the tale of Alexander the Great once more,” she said. The Hellenistic-era tomb lies within a mound 500 meters (1,630 feet) long and three metres high — the largest of its kind ever discovered in Greece. A five-metre marble lion, currently standing on a nearby road, originally topped the tomb, and two headless stone Sphinx statues flank the entrance, officials said. “We knew something lay here,” said visitor Eleni Avramidou, whose family hails from the area. “All of northern Greece constitutes an archaeological treasure trove.” The tomb’s outlines were originally discovered in 2012, some four decades after archaic graves were found atop the hill. This week, archaeologists used a crane to gently remove limestone blocks barring access to the inner tomb, where a diamond-pattern floor mosaic has already been detected. However, it is unclear whether the tomb’s contents will be found undisturbed, as its presence was known in Roman times. The excavation site has been sealed off under police guard ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who described the find as “unique”. “It is certain that we stand before an exceptionally important find,” Samaras said.