Roman Chariots Unearthed in Thrace By Paris Agiomamitis As was the practice in many ancient societies, these carts were buried alongside the ashes of the dead. "The chariots most probably served to transport the dead to be cremated," the head of the team conducting the excavations, Triantaphyllos Diamantis, told the three-day 16th Archaeological Conference in Thessaloniki on February 13th. The horses were apparently killed during the ceremony and buried with the dead. The skeleton of a dog was also discovered with one of the chariots. The finds were uncovered in a burial mound in the village of Mikri Doxipara in northern Evros, close to the Bulgarian border. Remarkably preserved, two of the four-wheeled chariots bear impressive bronze-plated decorations, while another with silver-plated designs still preserves remnants of the cart's wooden frame and spoked wheels. The chariots and other finds are being kept in wooden shelters on the site where they are undergoing restoration work. "It is a very important discovery and unique to Greece," said Diamantis. Similar chariots have also been uncovered in burial mounds in neighboring Bulgaria, which also belonged to the Roman province of Thrace, centered around Adrianople (Edirne in modern Turkey). The team also unearthed the resting places of a man and a woman cremated in two rectangular shafts cutting through the middle of the mound. In intact condition, the offerings found include bronze and glass vessels, copper lamps and gold jewelry. The mound, one of the biggest in northern Evros, has a diameter of 55-60 metres and a height of nearly seven metres. Years of neglect and the mechanical cultivation of surrounding farmlands posed a constant threat to the mound and its contents. The abundance of scattered fragments of marble reliefs found next to it initially led archaeologists to suspect the existence of a tomb construction or a marble sarcophagus. Extensive work on the mound, directed by Dr. Apostolos Sarris of Crete's Institute of Mediterranean Studies, has yet to prove them right. All in all, clay pot fragments have been unearthed at 14 different points on the mound. The contents of the pots were offered to the dead. Archaeologists have also detected traces of cremations and offerings at five other points, but severe winter weather has lately stopped the excavations that began last September. The mound most likely belonged to a wealthy Roman family since it contained more than one body. The finds, especially of clay, glass and bronze vessels, suggest that it is a first-century site. Meanwhile, archaeologists working at ancient Macedonia's spiritual center of Dion in Pieria announced the discovery of a 12-cornered wrestling arena within the confines of the new Roman marketplace. The second-century building, roughly 500 square metres, contains black and white mosaics depicting athletic events, scenes from the animal and plant kingdom and geometric designs. According to the findings outlined by the head of the excavations, Dimitris Panternmalis, the site of the market has also yielded the remnants of Roman bath complexes, Hellenistic statues used as building materials, and a new theatre fronted by a monumental facade. |
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