An impressive tomb used by a Mycenaean family that ruled parts of eastern Attica over 3,000 years ago is to vanish from sight, 10 years after its discovery, due to the Culture Ministry’s straitened finances.

According to a decision by the ministry’s Central Archaeological Council late on Wednesday, the large subterranean chamber tomb — which archaeologists describe as unique in Attica — will be reburied to allow development on the plot where it was found, at Glyka Nera, on the eastern fringes of Athens.

Council members ruled that it would be too expensive to expropriate the entire plot.

The tomb was the biggest of a group of 40 chamber and cist graves found during excavations between 1995 and 2002. Its contents included a Minoan male figurine, a rare find in Attica, Minoan pottery and gold ornaments.