Posted on 02/01/2006 6:33:25 PM PST by NormsRevenge
ATHENS, Greece - A well-preserved underground tomb belonging to a prominent Roman-era family has been unearthed on the island of Crete, archaeologists said Wednesday.
The large first or second century A.D. structure beside one of the main gates to the walled city of Aptera was looted during Christian times, archaeologist Vanna Niniou-Kindeli said.
It still yielded a wealth of finds, including 10-inch pottery statuettes of the ancient Greek love deity Eros, glass and pottery vases and lamps.
Built of large stone blocks, the grave is reached by a flight of steps. It has an antechamber and a main room measuring three by two yards that was the site of four burials.
"These must have been highly important citizens, probably among the city's wealthiest, who had contributed to the common good of the city," Niniou-Kindeli said. "In return, they were buried in a prominent position so that whoever entered the city saw the grave."
Archaeologists also discovered a small burial ground of newborns dating to the 4th century B.C., just outside the city walls.
Seven graves have been found, including a prematurely born infant's. Niniou-Kindeli said traces of ritual offerings were found beside the graves.
"This is an interesting find," she said. "We are not quite sure how to interpret it."
Aptera was founded around the seventh century B.C., and was destroyed by an earthquake in the seventh century A.D. It flourished during Hellenistic and Roman times.
fyi
When does the History Channel show air!!! LOL.
I love this kind of stuff. Very interesting.
BTTT.
Ping.
I love stuff like this too, thanks for the column. Would love to know if they ever find out who this prominent citizen was, and a Roman at that.
10-inch pottery statuettes of the ancient Greek love deity ErosWell, just, d@#$!
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I find that statement offensive. Otherwise it sounds like a great find.
Hellenic Ministry of Culture
Aptera
http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21125a/e211ya06.html
Aptera was founded in the Geometric period, although the city is mentioned in the Linear B tablets found at Knossos (A-pa-ta-wa). It reached a peak in the Hellenistic period, with intense commercial and political activity. In the Roman period, the town had a more rural character. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 7th century A.D. and much later, in the 12th century, the Monastery of Hagios Ioannes Theologos (St. John the Baptist) was founded at the site.
In 1942 the site was excavated by the German conquerors, who investigated the bipartite sanctuary and in 1958, St. Alexiou excavated parts of buildings and graves. In the years 1986-87 and 1992-95, systematic and salvage excavations were carried out by the Ephorate of Antiquities.
"This is an interesting find," she said. "We are not quite sure how to interpret it."
Obviously part of a sacrificial religious ritual. (Because it seems that every little piece of pottery they find is always part of a religious ritual. It sometimes seems that the ancients spent so much time performing religious rituals that they had no time for anything else)
LOL! (I'm assuming that was sarcasm). My bet is that these people revered their young, as the best of us do. Grave offerings are not uncommon, and infants and premies have for much of history had a high mortality rate.
It was a joke among my anthro/archaeology friends that if you couldn't readily determine what the artifact/site was used for, call it 'ceremonial' until proven otherwise. There are somethings which were done that didnt leave any artifact to explain what went on. I suspect that any future archaeologist who digs up our computer monitors and have no idea of something called the internet will have to default to an explanation of religion because of the importance the monitor is given in the household.
Yep
Greek ping!
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