Coins depicting the face of Alexander the Great were discovered inside the Amphipolis tomb, Greece, announced head of excavations Katerina Peristeri during a press conference on Saturday.
Peristeri said that the coins are dated around the 2nd century B.C., the era of the last Macedonian kings. The coins will be photographed to be shown to the public after they are cleaned. Another important finding was painted pottery that belongs to the 4th century B.C. “We have so many pottery pieces we have hardly counted them,” Peristeri said.
Meanwhile, the suspense continues on who is buried in the magnificent tomb, the largest archaeological burial monument in Greece. Reporters asked several questions on the identity of the skeleton found and the condition it was found in. “The bones were found inside and outside the burial pit,” said General Secretary of Culture Lina Mendoni. “The skull was quite some distance away from the pit, the lower jaw was just outside the pit and the largest part of the skeleton was inside the pit. A close look shows that the legs and arms are almost intact, rib bones and parts of the spine as well as the pelvic bones are in fragmentary condition, therefore it is impossible for archaeologists to say if they belong to a man or a woman.”
The depictions of human shapes and the inscriptions on the epistyle and other marble plates that may give more clues on the identity of the dead will be studied via ultraviolet rays, a process that has not started yet.
According to culture ministry officials, the monument was originally open to the public. It is estimated that it was looted some time during the Roman era and then it was sealed. They also said that there are no signs that Christians ever entered the tomb.
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