Pydna necropolis

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Macedonian tombs south of Makrygialos

Around ancient Pydna and along the ancient road from Methone in the north to Dion in the south lie some Macedonian graves and the necropolis of Pydna . The oldest graves date from the Bronze Age , the youngest from the early Christian period. Smaller tumuli (barrows) have been removed over the centuries by the strong erosion and are no longer visible. Most of the excavations had to be carried out as rescue excavations . The excavations, both in ancient Pydna and in the necropolis , show a shrinking population during the phase of the second Greek colonization .

location

Numerous graves from different periods of time have been discovered around ancient Pydna in northern Greece . These are the extensive northern necropolis ( Lage ) and smaller necropolis in the west and south ( Lage ) as well as individual graves and burial mounds. In accordance with the custom of antiquity, the cemeteries were located on the access roads and near the city gates.

The graves

Pydna, square tomb

In the necropolis, the change in the type and rites of burial over centuries can be observed; different types of burial were used for the graves found. In a few cases there were cremations , in the majority there were burials . The dead were either cremated directly in the grave or a wooden platform was built for this purpose. Small children were often buried in common household clay pots, which for this purpose were broken down according to plan and put back together again after the corpse was embedded. In individual cases, cremated corpses were also buried in copper kettles or clay vessels. At the time of the 5th century BC Male corpses were buried with their heads facing west, while females were buried with their heads facing east. The so-called Charon penny was found in the skulls of many deceased ; it was placed under the tongue of the dead and was used to pay the ferryman Charon for the transfer to Hades . During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, burials were the norm, and cremations were even rarer than in the classical period. The remains of wooden coffins are sometimes painted in blue and red. The graves, which date from the middle of the 4th century BC. BC, have smaller grave goods than the graves that were created before or after; Archaeologists attribute this fact to economically difficult times.

The shape of the graves ranges from a simple pit to enclosed graves to Macedonian and Thracian tombs with dromos and several chambers; in some cases the arrangement of the graves indicates family graves. The monumental Macedonian tombs embody the most elaborate design, the two most important in the area are in Korinos . The floors of the simple graves were strewn with gravel or sand; Stone slabs or, more often, as stones are rare in the Pydna area, wooden boards formed the edging. Individual square graves testify that the remains of the deceased were not reburied until later. Six of the tombs discovered were built in the Mycenaean style, which was unusual in Pieria .

Grave goods

Golden wreath, example of a grave goods

Various grave goods were found in the graves . In addition to clay vessels, jewelry, weapons and tools, richly decorated glass vessels came to light. The clay vessels were mainly imported from Attica , occasionally also from Corinth or other places in the Aegean ; some are also locally produced. Clay figures were often found in children's graves. The pieces of jewelry are mostly made of bronze, iron or silver, jewelry made of bone or gold was found less often. Weapons were sometimes found as grave goods in the graves of male deceased persons. The small vessels made of glass or alabaster that were enclosed with the corpses of the women are mostly in good condition. Some of the finds are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum in Makrygialos ( Lage ), the greater part is in the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki .

Northern necropolis

Pydna, southern necropolis

Located on three ancient streets, around 3,000 graves from the Classical and Hellenistic periods have been discovered there so far; it is the largest and most intensively used burial site. The youngest graves are dated to 146 BC. Dated. Since the graves are mainly located in agricultural areas, they were mapped after the excavation, photographed and, after the grave goods had been removed, filled with earth. So it is that most of the northern necropolis is invisible underground. The arable land is used again by the farmers for arable farming. Only monumental individual graves are still open, but are protected against weathering by a roof structure.

Because the graves are simple in type, they were mostly untouched when the archaeologists found them. In contrast to the Macedonian barrows, which were often looted in ancient times, the grave goods were usually also present in addition to the bones of the deceased.

A burial mound, around 500 meters north of the city wall of ancient Pydna, housed graves from the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Most of them were spared from grave robbers. There were rich grave goods in the graves, the women were given valuable glass vessels as well as gold and silver jewelry. Swords, lances, helmets and drinking vessels were found in the men's graves.

Southern necropolis

The graves of the southern necropolis of Pydnas are located near the salt pans of Kitros . It is much smaller than the northern cemetery, but the graves are more splendid. Archaeologists believe that the wealthier residents of Pydna were buried there. The excavations began in 1984 and ended after several breaks in 2003. 83 graves were uncovered, but they only form part of the southern necropolis of Pydnas. The oldest graves date from around 350 BC. The last burial places were in 146 BC. Built in BC; they thus represent the greatest period of burial culture from the rise to the fall of the Macedonian kingdom.

The graves can be dated in three phases:

  • from 350 BC Until the first years of the reign of King Antigonus Gonatas (276 to 239 BC). The largest and most magnificent of the graves date from this period. Some of them were used (probably by families) for decades.
  • from the beginning of the 3rd century BC Macedonian single-chamber graves were preferred, in which several people were sometimes buried. This type of construction lasted until the first half of the 2nd century BC. Chr.
  • from the second half of the 2nd century BC Chr. Single graves predominated again.

Most of the graves were still untouched; non-metallic objects were still within the robbed graves; the grave robbers were obviously only interested in the precious metals (possibly weapons). The grave of a doctor is remarkable: His medical instruments were found as grave goods.

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ The Greek colonization. Retrieved February 14, 2018 .
  2. ^ Penn University, The Ancient Greek World, Religion and Death (in English). Retrieved February 12, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Besios, Matheos. Pieridon Stefanos: Pydna, Methone and the antiquities of the northern Pieria (Πιερίδων Στέφανος: Πύδνα, και οι αρχαιότητες της βόρειας Μεθώνη Πιερίας .alpha. 'Έκδοση. Κατερίνη 2010), (in Greek) page 134, ISBN 978-960-99308-0 -2
  4. ↑ Besios, Matheos. Pieridon Stefanos: Pydna, Methone and the antiquities of the northern Pieria (Πιερίδων Στέφανος: Πύδνα, και οι αρχαιότητες της βόρειας Μεθώνη Πιερίας .alpha. 'Έκδοση. Κατερίνη 2010), (in Greek) page 133, ISBN 978-960-99308-0 -2
  5. ↑ Miniature Objects from the Archaic Tombs of Macedonia. Retrieved February 18, 2018 .
  6. ^ Social Status as Reflected through Metal Objects Found in Archaic Burials from Macedonia. Retrieved February 18, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Besios, Matheos. Pieridon Stefanos: Pydna, Methone and the antiquities of the northern Pieria (Πιερίδων Στέφανος: Πύδνα, και οι αρχαιότητες της βόρειας Μεθώνη Πιερίας .alpha. 'Έκδοση. Κατερίνη 2010), (in Greek) pages 131-137, ISBN 978-960-99308 -0-2
  8. ↑ Besios, Matheos. Pieridon Stefanos: Pydna, Methone and the antiquity of the northern Pierias (Πιερίδων Στέφανος: Πύδνα, και οι αρχαιότητες της βόρειας Μεθώνη Πιερίας .alpha. 'Έκδοση. Κατερίνη 2010), (in Greek) pages 212 and 213, ISBN 978-960-99308 -0-2

Coordinates: 40 ° 23 ′ 51 ″  N , 22 ° 37 ′ 3 ″  E