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Unique archaeological finding in Kozani: Deceased woman on wooden bed

A unique finding under a house that was to be demolished: the grave of a woman laid on a bed. The estimated 2100-year-old ancient treasure was unearthed in Mavropigi in ancient Eiordaia by Kozani in western Macedonia. It is the first time in Greece, the wooden bed where a deceased was laid was found, archaeologist said.

The deceased was certainly rich and most probably a member of a royal family or had a high-ranking religious position.

The bed estimated to be from the 1 century BC, measures 200cmx90cm and has a height of 40 cm. The bed is like our ‘current divans’ Areti Chondrogianni-Metoki, the archaeologist responsible for the excavation and head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Kozani, told state-run news agency amna.

It was found in situ and is intact, although the without the wooden parts have been largely dissolved. From the place where the bronze parts of the bed were found and based on the design made in the museum, Chondrogianni and her collaborators tried to approach the way these pieces were tied together and proceeded to represent a miniature bed.

“According to our estimations it is very close to the original one, as we miss the wooden elements,” the archaeologist said.

The burial dates dates back to the Hellenistic years, to the late Hellenistic period, to the 1st century BC, perhaps to the end of the 2nd century BC.

“At this time it was common to place the dead on beds in the wider area and in Pella and Pieria. But because they were wooden they have been destroyed and their existence is usually inferred only from the places of the nails, which are the only ones left, as the wood dissolves. There are also stone- as well as brick-beds in the Macedonian tombs”, the archaeologist explained.

The find is “great and unique” and it gives a lot of information about the forms of the ancient beds in the area.

The identity of the deceased: From a royal family or with religious authority?

The rare find confirms that there were luxurious objects, ie wealth and prosperity in the ancient settlement that had developed in the area of ​​Mavropigi, perhaps a royal family, as is the case in all of Western Macedonia at this time, with the typical example of Aiani, where names of kings of the ancient city.

The dead woman, apparently of high economic and social class, middle-aged, may have belonged to a royal family – golden laurel leaves were found on her head that may have been sewn into a wreath of other material – but she may also have possessed some religious authority. Both scenarios are considered.

Preservation of the golden laurel leaves in the lab.

Tt appears that this bed was of luxurious construction. The settlement to which the burial belongs is located in ancient Eordea, which was one of the four kingdoms of Upper Macedonia, today’s Western Macedonia.

The two fulcrums of the bed are decorated with a mermaid, -the head of the mermaid- while the upper part of the fulcrum also had an aquatic bird holding a snake in its mouth. The snake – is associated with the god Apollo, who according to mythology killed the snake in Delphi and saved the world.

The dead woman carried in her mouth a gold plate – possibly a mouthpiece and ten double gold laurel leaves and they were sewn – they also have holes – in some material or in leather or fabric – maybe a veil – or in a wreath on her head .

Golden threads were found in her right hand, as if she had something embroidered on her hand.

“All this seems to have been sewn somewhere, maybe in the clothes that the dead woman was wearing or in some fabric with which they covered her”, Chondrogianni noted.

The woman also had a bone needle and a stone bead and was adorned with four clay censers, a clay amphora, and a glass censer.

“With the information we have so far, we have not come to a conclusion as to whether this is a woman from a royal family or a person with religious authority. There is evidence for both.

Regarding the possibility that the woman had religious authority, Chondrogianni pointed out that “it was common in ancient Greece to have luxurious beds in the sanctuaries.”

The woman’s bones have been transferred to the laboratories of the Archaeological Museum of Aiani and through the anthropological study clues next to gender also about age and even the cause of death maybe be revealed.

The goal of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Kozani is to make a full reconstruction of the bed, to be exhibited at the Archaeological Museum of Aiani for “the whole world to see”, archaeologist Chondrogianni stressed.

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2 comments

  1. Kristin Sweedler

    So were the legs of the bed turned on a lathe?