Ancient Precious Graves Unveiled in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)     In a rich, ancient cemetery in northern Greece near Pella, archaeologists have unearthed 43 new graves unveiling the bodies of 20 warriors with copper helmets and iron swords, daggers and spearheads. Ornaments of gold foil covered their mouths, eyes and chests as part of the burial offerings found inside the graves.   According to the Culture Ministry’s press release following the first excavation “the settlement (to which the cemetery belonged) flourished in wealth and population mainly during the archaic period”, while “the funerary use of (the gold ornaments) and the other grave goods points to a strong belief in life after death, and rebirth.”  Associated Press: Rich finds from ancient cemetery in Greece

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New Finds: City beneath Macedonian Pella

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) Recent discoveries at the archaeological site of Pella have introduced a new chapter in Macedonian history. Beneath the ruins of the ancient capital of the Macedonian kingdom lies a huge prehistoric burial ground that offers the first evidence of organised life in Pella during the third millennium BC. The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki came across over 100 Early Bronze Age burials in large jars, accompanied by marble works of art from the Cyclades islands, local ceramics and metal ware. The finds are so recent that analysis has not yet revealed exact dates, but initial evidence completes what is already known about Pella in the Early Bronze Age (2100-2000 BC). What became known as “the greatest of Macedonian cities” was built on top of the prehistoric graveyard when Archelaus moved his capital there from Aiges, excavation director Professor Ionannis Akamatis says.