Amphipolis - World Holds Breath As Archaeologists Continue With Excavations (NEW PHOTOS)

The world is holding its breath as more and more antiquities are being unearthed in Amphipolis, in northern Greece. The international media such as the Business Times, Xinhuanet, the Toronto Sun, ABC news, Deutsche Welle, CTV news, the Irish Times, the Telegraph, the Guardian, Business Insider, the Sydney Morning Herald, China Topix, the Bangkok Post, the Montreal Gazette and a whole lot of other television news networks, publications and online news sites are keeping their audiences informed daily on the progress that is being made by Greek archaeologists at this mystery tomb. Greece might be in the news everyday, but this time the news is vindicating the glory, splendor and rich history of this country, unlike several years ago when the world was claiming Greece was nothing more than a corrupt and bankrupt republic.

According to a recent announcement from the Ministry of Culture, Greek archaeologists have removed the soil from behind the diaphragmatic wall where the Caryatids, are situated, which it notes, reached three meters high. Following this, the upper portion of the third diaphragmatic wall was revealed showing an elaborate marble Ionic style lintel as well as other architectural splendors of that era.

After doing this, the whole body of the two Caryatids were revealed.

On Friday archaeologists would attempt to get access to the entrance into the upper west part of the third diaphragmatic wall from the existing opening.

The ancient Greek tomb in Amphipolis continues to impress, with archaeologists clearing dirt from the antechamber to reveal impressive details of the two caryatid statues.

After removing the dirt surrounding the two female figures, the archaeologists added extra support in the tomb, in order to avoid any damage, in preparation of moving on to the next chamber.

Meanwhile, the Greek Ministry of Culture published new pictures of the archaeological progress and announced that fragments of the head of one of the two impressive statues were recovered during the dig.

As work continues in Amphipolis, the Greek Archaeologist Association (SEA) union issued a statement slamming the Ministry of Culture for its management of the dig in Amphipolis, and arguing that “political and other interests are being served”.

It even stupidly suggested that the Ministry revise its media campaign and remain more silent about what is being unearthed in Amphipolis because the coverage is creating a distorted image of archeology and "creates an unhealthy perception of our relationship with the past, which does not serve science or historic memory”.

(Let us keep in mind that most of the members of these organizations are Leftists and we all know that the progressives in Greece do not want Greeks to be in tune with their rich history and culture, so their idiotic statements do not surprise us here at HellasFrappe).

Turning to other related news, an associate professor of ancient Greek history in the Department of History and Archaeology at the University of Cyprus, Theodoros Mavrogiannis, claimed on Friday that the ancient tomb in Amphipolis belongs to Hephaestion, a top ranking general from Alexander the Great's army, and a man that some people referred to as No.2 in line.

Hephaestion (356 BC – 324 BC) was a Macedonian nobleman and a general in the army of Alexander. His friendship with Alexander lasted throughout their lives, and was compared, by others as well as themselves, to that of Achilles and Patroclus.

During a presentation on Amphipolis, the historian said there is evidence to suggest the tomb is Macedonian and was built around 325BC for Hephaestion, after a mandate by Alexander the Great himself. The Cypriot historian also said that the differences between archaeology and history make it more difficult to give more specific answers on the tomb.

The news about Amphipolis has also raised the patriotism of many Greeks, especially those in the Diaspora. Nikos Poupalos, a Greek-American from Buffalo, New York, and who had been following the news on Amphipolis from the very first moment the entrance to the sacred tomb was announced, decided to fly to Greece and get a firsthand look for himself.

     “I have been following the story for a year and a half now. I believed that something would be announced during the period between 27-30 August and this is why I scheduled the trip for now” Poupalos told Greek state news agency ANA-MPA.

The 53-year-old, who has been living in the US since he was 18 years old, said that he hasn’t been to Greece for the past nine years but nothing now he felt compelled to come to Greece to see the tomb firsthand.

This is why Poupalos and his American wife were one of the few that climbed the Kasta Hill -where the tomb was discovered- as far as the Greek police would allow them to go.

     “There is great interest [about the tomb] by my friends and we often discuss it. It is [the discovery] important for Greece” he said and added that he hopes the tomb has something to do with Alexander the Great.

Poupalos is scheduled to fly home on September 15th but not before he visits the Royal Tombs in Vergina, where Phillip II of Macedon, Alexander’s father, was laid to rest.

It is actually a good time to visit the Royal Tombs since the museum in Vergina is hosting a special exhibit titled "Macedonian Treasures" that will run to September 30, 2015.

And if that wasn't enough, a Caryatids-related domain went up for sale on ebay! According to press reports an Ebay user decided to take advantage of the hype about the findings in Amphipolis by offering the domain name www.kariatides.gr for sale on ebay. The owner of the domain who appears to reside in Crete offered a starting bid of US $100 (about 77 euros). All those interested can find the domain name kariatides.gr in the category Internet Businesses & Websites.

 

Combined Reports - Kathimerini, To Vima, ProtoThema, ANA-MPA