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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 14-10-02
CONTENTS
[01] Ancient Amphipolis door discovery 'points to Macedonian-era tomb'
[01] Ancient Amphipolis door discovery 'points to Macedonian-era tomb'
ANA-MPA - The marble double-leaf door leading to the third chamber
of the Kasta tomb in the Ancient Amphipolis excavation site provides
further evidence that the hill being excavated "contains a magnificent
funerary complex that belongs to the end of the 4th century BC," chief
excavator Katerina Peristeri told ANA-MPA on Thursday.
She added it was too soon to tell who was buried there, but confirmed
that excavations and work to support the monument were continuing.
Fragments of the original marble door, which included imitations of nails
on wooden doors, were found along with evidence on the frame of one of
the door jambs. The door leaves are made of white marble from the northern
Aegean island of Thassos and measure 1.5 metres wide and 14 cm thick.
Commenting on the findings, Culture Secretary General Lina Mendoni said,
"Amphipolis, from its very founding by Athenians was a prosperous city
with a lot of natural resources, the reason that Athenians chose the
site to begin with as a colony, and its significance continued to the
Byzantine and post-Byzantine era."
The ministry was not the discoverer of Amphipolis, she reiterated,
but has been involved in the site for many years, as proven by the
EU-funded works at the ancient gymnasium and the Byzantine tower, which
have absorbed about two million euros she said, in National Strategic
Reference Framework (NSRF) funds. "The publicity and promotion of this
specific monument, and its existence, is a wonderful opportunity for
the developmental future of this area, a unique environment, and a rich
cultural resource that can contribute significantly to the local and
national economy," she added.
[Photo: Fragment of the marble door, with imitation of nails on wooden
doors showing]
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