Something to Look Forward to

[circumspice]

Great links! Thanks Ernie!

[Ernie L]

Great links! Thanks Ernie!

You are quite welcome....

[Minimalist]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... inger.html

In her view, the Amphipolis building may not hold Macedonian remains at all, but perhaps served to memorialize a Roman military victory in the area—perhaps that at Philippi, a site not far from Amphipolis, where, after the assassination of Julius Caesar, his heir Octavian defeated the senatorial armies of Brutus and Cassius.

Should Palagia’s Roman-era dating prove correct, the Amphipolis find would still be hugely important, but nonetheless deeply disappointing to the Greek nationalist feelings that the excavation has aroused. The idea that the tomb is linked to Alexander—a heroic leader who inspires great pride in modern Greeks—has figured prominently in the announcements and press conferences held by the excavators.

This is starting to devolve into a Bosnian pyramid scheme where what is really wanted is a tourist attraction. The obvious difference being that Amphipolis is real as opposed to the imaginary pyramids.

[Ernie L]

People in Greece and across the globe are waiting patiently for tomorrow’s press conference at Casta Hill in regards to the archaeological excavations taking place at the Amphipolis tomb. Expectations are high, since tomorrow, October 28, at 6pm, press representative Anna Panagiotarea is scheduled to speak with reporters. - See more at: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/10 ... tyHCn.dpuf

so noon EST

[Minimalist]

I haven't seen any recaps of the press conference but they did release this video of the inside of the tomb. The close ups of the mosaic at the end are fantastic.

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/10 ... -released/

[kbs2244]

What surprised me in the video was the amount of civil engineering involved in the dig.
Not just the scaffolding, but a conveyor belt to remove the waste dirt?
What ever happened to the human chain of 5 gal buckets?

[Minimalist]

Progress, man, progress.

[Minimalist]

Not with a bang but with a whimper....

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/10 ... olis-tomb/

The third chamber of the tomb of Amphipolis is the last one. This was announced earlier by the Ministry of Culture, spreading disappointment to those expecting a happy ending at the ongoing excavation and the mystery about the occupant of the grave, who is still not found. However, according to the general secretary of the Ministry of Culture Lina Mendoni, there are hopes that a fourth vault might be discovered underground, covered by a horizontal sealing wall. -

Archaeologists are currently digging through one meter of sandy soil to reach the floor of the third chamber, hoping that the burial room is underground, covered by limestone.

[Ernie L]

http://www.alphatv.gr/shows/informative ... tio-291014 Skip to about the 5 minute mark..unless you speak Greek of course...two interviews with english speaking archaeologists

[Minimalist]

Very interesting, Ernie. Especially the last bit in English where she speculates that the tomb was built in the hope of recovering Alexander's body from Egypt.

That makes it a cenotaph - not a tomb.

[Ernie L]

Very interesting, Ernie. Especially the last bit in English where she speculates that the tomb was built in the hope of recovering Alexander's body from Egypt.

That makes it a cenotaph - not a tomb.

Yes indeed...Olympias wanted Perdiccas ,companion and self professed heir to Alexander, to marry her daughter Cleopatra. He was supposed to bring Alexanders body to her.
Ptolemy had other ideas..Perdiccas attempted to recover the body and attacked Ptolemy....oops.

[Minimalist]

Archaeology - it's not just about digging.

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/11 ... macedonia/

The Politics Buried in the Amphipolis Tomb and Macedonia

[Ernie L]

Archaeology - it's not just about digging.

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/11 ... macedonia/

The Politics Buried in the Amphipolis Tomb and Macedonia

..I Have been wondering why this hill has just now gotten so much attention..politics rears it's head..... but certainly not unique I suppose. I'm thinking of the search for Genghis Kans tomb, and the mummies of Xinjiang etc.

I follow along the discussions by Greeks and non Greeks on the Amphipolis face book page ( https://www.facebook.com/amphipolistomb). The Greek blog posters make an effort to post in English so that more from around the world can join in the discussion. This is much appreciated kindness. Anyway...it hasn't taken long for the" Alexander was an alien/God" ,and "easily offended extreme nationalists" crowd to make their presence known.

..It has however been a real pleasure to see evidence of the great interest in this excavation on the part of the general Greek population . Their pride is quite evident. They need some good news what with an unemployment of nearly 24% ,political turmoil , and Turkey making provocative moves near Cyprus.

According to this they are now down 8 meters into the floor of the third chamber http://en.protothema.gr/amphipolis-how- ... d-chamber/

[Minimalist]

At last:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30019338

No I.D. found so far, though.

Amphipolis skeleton from Alexander's time found in Greece

[Ernie L]

The chief archaeologist's opinion is that it is the body of a Macedonian general. If that is true, then why was the body not cremated ? Is this not the normal Hellenic custom for males ?