Researchers were amazed to find ancient Greek tombs filled with intricately carved gold jewelry and other precious artifacts.
Archaeological site – where unique ancient tombs were found in Greece.
According to Express, the tombs are shaped like honeycombs, and date back to about 3,500 years ago. The excavation team was stunned by the discovery and said it shed new light on life in ancient Greece.
Archaeologists from the University of Cincinnati announced their findings at the archaeological site in Pylos, southwest of Athens, Greece in December 2019. The 18-month search led to the unearthing of valuable objects such as a gold ring engraved with two bulls and grains as well as a gold pendant depicting a protective Egyptian goddess DEADMAN.
Jack Davis, chair of the department of archeology at the University of Cincinnati, said the engraving on the ring is “an interesting picture of livestock farming combined with grain production.
“It’s the foundation of agriculture,” Mr. Davis said.
The tombs are surrounded by pieces of gold, indicating that the people buried were wealthy and of high status.
Gold was found on the floor of the tomb, but experts believe it was once covered on the walls for decoration.
Mr. Davis and archaeologist Sharon Stocker first found these treasure-filled tombs in 2018 while investigating the area around the tomb of the “Griffin Warrior” they discovered in 2015.
“Griffin Warrior” is named after the mythical animal – part eagle, part lion – engraved on an ivory tablet discovered in the tomb along with many golden jewels, armor and weapons .
“It has been 50 years since a large Bronze Age tomb of this type was found. That makes this discovery extraordinary,” Mr. Davis said.
The archaeological site at Pylos was difficult to excavate because an estimated 40,000 stones needed to be removed, due to the collapse of the ancient tomb’s dome.
The tombs located near Nestor’s Palace – named after the Greek king mentioned in Homer’s “Lliad” and “Odyssey” – were discovered in 1939 by professor Carl Blegen.
