Mounds - large and small earthen mounds over ancient burials - are ubiquitous. But some of them are very unusual, interesting not only to researchers. Today we will tell you about one of these mounds.
Excavation and … hope
Let's start with the fact that in 2017 it will be 65 years since the excavation of the Great Barrow in Vergina (northern Greece) began. It was surrounded by many small mounds. The burials in them date back to about 1000, and the earliest - to the end of the Hellenistic era, that is, the 1st century BC.
In 1952-1953, scientists twice began excavations under the largest of the mounds, trying to find burials there. Then, in the depths of the earth, the remains of gravestones were discovered, and this result was considered encouraging. Then, by excavations already in 1976, it was proved that the first capital of the rulers of Macedonia - Aegi - was precisely located in the area of today's Vergina and that it was here that the burials of the rulers of Macedonia should be sought. And it is possible that the Great Barrow in Vergina is a royal tomb and hides tombs within it. There was a hope of finding the tsar's burial place, which did not suffer at the hands of the robbers.
From tomb to tomb
At the end of August, excavations continued. By October, researchers found three rooms in the lower part of the mound. The first of them, called the "Sanctuary of Heroes", turned out to be destroyed, its purpose was unclear. The other two were underground tombs. The first had dimensions of 3.5 by 2.09 meters and a height of 3 meters. It turned out that the dead were buried through a hole at the top, which was then closed with a huge stone, and there was no entrance as such to the tomb. Judging by the pottery found in the tomb, it could be attributed to the middle of the 4th century BC. The walls of the tomb were covered with paintings depicting the famous scene of the abduction of Persephone by Hades.
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Then the cornice of the facade of the "Tomb II" ("Macedonian Tomb"), which was a large chamber with a vaulted ceiling, was excavated. But the most important thing was different. Before that, all previously found Macedonian burials turned out to be looted, so there was very little chance of finding an intact tomb. And when, after clearing the land, an intact large double door made of marble appeared before the archaeologists, they simply could not resist exclamations of admiration. Finally, we managed to find a tomb where the "black archaeologists" have not yet penetrated!
Who owned the tomb?
By all indications, this tomb belonged to a noble person. But to whom exactly? The size of the Big Mound suggested that this was a royal burial site, and shards found in the ground made it possible to date it to about 340 BC. The tomb was opened on November 8, 1977. Some wooden fragments and very well preserved metal objects were found on the floor: vessels made of silver, utensils and weapons made of bronze and iron.
Behind the main room was another chamber, the secrets of which were also kept by a marble door. At the western wall there was a marble sarcophagus, in which, according to the researchers, a vessel with ashes was kept. The entire southwest side was lined with objects made of bronze and iron. The container with holes made in it attracted special attention. As it turned out, it was a lamp. Against one of the walls lay a large round object that resembled a bronze shield. Next to him were an iron helmet and a pair of bronze knee pads.
Heavy shell - a gift from the king …
One of the unique finds found under the Bolshoi Kurgan was an iron shell. In its form, it was similar to the armor of Alexander the Great, known from the mosaics from Pompeii. But only it was made of five plates of wrought iron with shoulder pads of four also iron plates. The front of the carapace was decorated with six lion heads, made of gold, which were used as buckles for the leather strap that connected the front to the shoulder pads.
The cost of such armor at that time was enormous. Of course, one could consider it as a "gift of the tsar", because Tsar Ivan the Terrible presented his chain mail to the conqueror of Siberia Yermak. However, the discovery of the shield and shell suggested that these were most likely not gifts, but objects that the deceased himself owned, and that the one who was buried here was not just a king, but one of the great rulers.
Talking finds
The pieces of wood found near the sarcophagus may have been a richly decorated bed at one time. As it was restored, scientists were able to imagine its appearance. As it turned out, the bed was bordered with ivory carvings, which are miniature figurines of mythical characters. One such figurine depicted a bearded man whose face remarkably closely resembled the portrait of Philip II on a gold medallion dating from the Roman period. This medallion was discovered in the city of Tara.
The sarcophagus had not yet been opened, and archaeologists hoped to find a vessel with ashes in it after the body was cremated. And they found such a vessel! It was a gold urn weighing 11 kilograms with the image of a multi-rayed star. After the autopsy, it turned out that there were human bones inside, wrapped in tissue that had almost decayed by that time. On top was the remnant of a crown of 68 acorns and 313 oak leaves, made of gold. Later, after restoration, this item was considered one of the most valuable artifacts that we have inherited from the old times.
Burns and diadem
However, there is still a front camera. In it, researchers were expecting amazing finds. In its depths there was another sarcophagus made of marble, behind it on the floor was a golden wreath. The entire cell was literally crammed with burial utensils. There was found a gilt-covered burner (wooden case) with arrows inside.
At the bottom of the sarcophagus was a small urn. Inside it, covered in purple-gold brocade, lay bones. Also in the urn was a diadem made of gold. She was amazingly graceful and amazed by the perfection of her form. Intricately curved stems of gold, buds crowning the entire composition of palmette (plant ornament in the form of a fan-shaped leaf of a palm tree, acanthus flower or honeysuckle, - ed.) And bees over flowers - all this indicated that before scientists a unique work of the ancient art.
Tsar's burial
Scientists have come to the conclusion that they have found the royal tomb. The dating of the finds was not difficult. According to archaeologists, they belonged to the period between 350 and 325 BC. The conclusion suggested itself: Tsar Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great, was most likely buried in the tomb. Anthropologists have established that the remains belong to a man between the ages of 40 and 50, and, as you know, Philip was killed at the age of 46. The remains from the second urn turned out to be female. They belonged to a young woman aged 23 to 27 years, most likely one of Philip's wives, but which one is still unknown.
Later, in the 80s of the XX century, archaeologists excavated a number of other tombs of the royal family, and also discovered a theater where, according to historians, Philip II was killed. And the third tomb most likely belongs to Alexander IV, the son of Alexander the Great and Roxanne, who was killed by Cassander in 39 BC. There was discovered a silver urn containing the remains of a young prince.
Today all these artifacts are on display in museums - in Vergina and Thessaloniki.
Dmitry Gorislavsky, Vyacheslav Shpakovsky