Amphipolis: The mystery of the ditch and the scenarios for the despoilment of the tomb

16:44 3/11/2014 - Πηγή: NewsBomb

The archaeologists seek answers for the many unanswered questions about the Tomb, while excavation in Amphipolis is coming to an…

The marble door, weight 1.5 tons which was found in the tomb, opened the way for new questions. The same stands for the trench which was found at the point where the floor of the third chamber seems to have sunk.

The depth of the trench appears to exceed 1.5 meters and there was found a part of the door. Pieces of the same door were found in the previous

chamber.
It is now very possible that the tomb is looted, although there are reasonable questions about the sealing.

The newspaper Daily Mail attempts to provide answers to some "hot" questions by referring to the three possible theories.

Looting: Some experts simply say that the third chamber is the last one. This could mean that any remains were taken from the third chamber.
The Greek ministry of Culture has said since excavations began that the tomb could have been looted in antiquity, as suggested by broken sculptures, pieces of which have been found in unlikely places inside the tomb.

Hidden chamber underground: Others hope that a burial chamber lies beneath the third chamber. Archaeologists are currently moving soil to uncover the floor in the hope of finding a hidden room.

It's unfinished: There is the possibility that the tomb is unfinished and was never used. Archaeologist and author Dorothy King said that it may have been built for Alexander the Great himself.

What does Katerina Romiopoulou believe?

The honorary director of Classical Antiquities, Katerina Romiopoulou, speaking to the "Nea" newspaper, said that "first of all we need to clarify if the pit is natural or artificial," while retaining doubts about whether it is an artificial construction, since the monument is in bedrock.

But if the pit was made by a person, then who was he and why? "Did the pit containing a box, casket or a bed?" Asks Ms. Romiopoulou and stresses that "now we are facing the monument, like Aladdin. We go with the lamp, but do not know what we will find."
Many believe that the creation of the trench coincides with the creation of the sealing walls which were "erected" to protect the monument from vandalism. This view for the existence of "pit" in the third chamber, was expressed recently by the Professor of Archaeology at the Aristotle University, Chryssoula Paliadeli.

Finally, as regards the theories about Alexander the Great, the archaeologist Mrs. Soulvatzi, speaking to SKAI on Sunday morning, said that the great commander was buried in the desert Shiva.

"In any case, regardless of who was buried at Amphipolis, the Kasta tomb is a huge archaeological find," she said commenting the excavation work of Mrs. Peristeri.