Grave district of the Plathane and the Polykrates
The tomb area of the Plathane and Polykrates from the Demos Potamos is a preserved tomb ensemble of the Kerameikos , the most important and largest ancient cemetery in Athens .
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left the original in the museum, right the copy in the area
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The grave district of the Plathane and the Polykrates lies on the north side of the Holy Road . Nearby are the Kioniskos of Philokleia and the grave painting of Hermon , as well as a grave building made of adobe bricks and a grave building made of poros blocks, where rich additions with ceramics by the Meidias painter and the Frauenbad painter were found in a sacrificial trough .
The grave area was found during the excavations of the German Archaeological Institute in Athens led by Klaus Vierneisel in 1964. The most important find was the grave stele of the Plathane and the Polykrates , a picture field stele . An inscription names those buried here: Plathane, daughter of Callimachos from the Demos Melite and Polykrates, son of Polykrates from the Demos Oe . It is no longer possible to determine how the two buried persons are related to one another. Above all, belonging to different demes is problematic; two siblings are possible, but also mother and son. At a later date, a third inscription for a deceased was added: Thesmotetia, daughter of Ameinias from the Demos of Piraeus . Here, too, a family relationship is unclear. The burial area extends over a width of 13 meters. The front is bounded by a wall made of quarry stone. The wall is only there to secure the area against possible sagging, no further expansion of the grave area has taken place.
The grave district was after the destruction of Athens after the lost battle of Chaironeia against the Macedonians under Philip II in 338 BC. Erected, but before the entry into force of the grave luxury law, which was passed by Demetrios of Phaleron (317 to 307 BC). A copy of the grave stele can be found at the site of the find in the Kerameikos area. The original is kept and shown under the porch of the Kerameikos Museum .
literature
- Ursula Knigge : The Kerameikos of Athens. Guided tour of excavations and history. Krene, Athens 1988, p. 147.
- Jutta Stroszeck : The Kerameikos in Athens. History, buildings and monuments in the archaeological park. Bibliopolis, Athens 2014, ISBN 978-3-943741-04-9 , p. 247.
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ Inventory number: Kerameikos I 334