BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Tomb of Ancient Greek Noblewoman Discovered

Excavations reveal remarkable burial

The bronze diadem. Courtesy Hellenic Republic Ministry of Culture.

During salvage excavations in central Greece, archaeologists discovered a cemetery dating to the Archaic and Classical periods (c. 800–323 BCE). It was what they discovered inside one specific grave, however, that they found most remarkable: the seventh-century BCE remains of a noblewoman attired in the finery of her status.

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Burying Nobility

Excavations at the site of Spitia-Katavothra, located near the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, revealed the remains of a fortified settlement and a large cemetery, the latter consisting of several pit graves, burial pyres, and tiled-roofed tombs. Many of the graves belonged to local landowning elites, but one grave stood out.

Dating to the second half of the seventh century BCE, the grave was the burial place of a young woman, aged 20 to 30. On the woman’s head was a bronze-banded diadem, a symbol of nobility and wealth. The diadem was decorated in front with a large sun-shaped rosette. Around the band were pairs of male and female lions facing each other, another symbol of authority and wealth. The diadem was also placed upside down, an act that may have symbolized the death of a monarch or other royal figure. The burial featured many other impressive grave goods, including a pair of bronze buckles decorated with horses, bone and ivory beads, copper earrings, a bracelet, and spiral rings.

Side view of the bronze diadem. Courtesy Hellenic Republic Ministry of Culture.

Together, the finds paint a picture of an incredibly important individual. Interestingly, the very time when the woman would have lived falls within a transitional period in the history of ancient Greece, when the classic system of hereditary kingship was being overtaken by the rise of oligarchical and aristocratic systems. Researchers believe the woman likely belonged to one of the powerful royal families that remained. Adding to this, another nearby grave held the remains of a young girl around four years old, who similarly wore a copper diadem inlaid with rosettes. This grave dates to about the same time and may have belonged to one of the woman’s close relatives.

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