Lucky Visitors Get Chance to Enter Amphipolis’ Kasta Tomb

The sphinxes in Amphipolis.

Dozens of visitors had the chance to enter the largest tomb discovered in Greece, at Amphipolis on occasion of the 2nd Symposium on Sustainable Tourism Development – Western Paggaio held over the weekend in the city of Serres.

Led by excavation director, archaeologist Katerina Peristeri, the visiting group was taken on a tour of the ancient Macedonian tomb, which dates back to Alexander the Great’s era and has thus far revealed skeletal remains, human depictions, sculptures of sphinxes and caryatids, mosaics and coins depicting Alexander the Great.

A mosaic of the god Pluto abducting Persephone covers the tomb’s second chamber’s floor.

The symposium was organized by the Ode Amphipolis Sustainable Tourism Development – Western Paggaio Organization with the support of the interior ministry, the Regional Unit of Serres and Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University.

Peristeri referred to the long and tedious excavation work on the northern Greece site, which has also created scientific controversy as to the identity of the person buried there and the historic timeframe of the burial ground.

Peristeri went on to add that the transportable finds excavated will be exhibited at the Amphipolis Museum, while other remnants including sculptures and mosaics will be displayed in a specially set-up museum within the monument.

Ancient city of Amphipolis. Photo: © Regional Division of Serres

The Greek archaeologist presented the history of the excavation, which was backed in 2011 by the Central Macedonia Region, and added that plans were underway to open the significant archeological site to the public.

“We will make it visitable so that the whole world can come and see, and this will be a great benefit not only for Amphipolis, which has still not grasped the great value of this monument, not just for Greece, but for the whole world,” she said.