Ancient Amphipolis tomb unlikely to have been looted, says lead archaeologist
The massive stones sealing the entrance to the Hellenistic era tomb unearthed at the site of Ancient Amphipolis in central Macedonia must have protected the find from grave robbers, the archaeologist supervising the excavation said on Friday.
“It’s difficult for such a grave to have been plundered,” Katerina Peristeri said during a briefing of a nine-member delegation from the leftist opposition SYRIZA party on the progress of the dig.
The delegation, led by the party’s MP responsible for cultural issues, Anna Hatzisofia, was not allowed to enter the tomb, which is the largest of its kind ever discovered in Greece.
Peristeri urged the authorities to do everything to help their work, describing the grave as a “unique” find of “global significance.”
But she said it would take time before archaeologists could be sure of what lies inside the tomb.
“We are like surgeons. We proceed very slowly. The excavation will show us what lies inside.”
