Sep 11, 2008, 18:53 GMT
Athens - Archaeologists have uncovered a treasure of gold jewellery, weapons and pottery at a burial ground near the birth place of Alexander the Great, the Greek Culture Ministry said Thursday.
A handout photograph released by the Greek Ministry of Culture shows an overview of a portion of the exactly 1,414 ancient graves uncovered during work on the new metro line in the northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki on 11 September 2008. Graves range from the Hellenistic period to the late Roman period. Thessaloniki, named in honor of Alexander the Great's half-sister, is Greece's second largest city. EPA/GREEK MINISTRY OF CULTURE
Excavations taking place at an ancient burial site near Pella, the capital of ancient Macedonia in northern Greece, have revealed 43 previously undiscovered graves dating from 650-279 BC, a Culture Ministry statement said.
Among the discoveries include the graves of 20 warriors who had been buried between 580-480 BC. Some were buried in copper helmets, iron swords and knives, and their eyes, mouths and chests covered in gold foil decorated with drawings of lions and other animals.
Officials at the Culture Ministry said a total of 915 graves have been excavated over the past eight years at the site of Arhontiko, approximately 590 kilometres north-west of Athens.
Archaeologists hope the new discovery will shed greater light on the Macedonian Kingdom, which during the reign of Alexander the Great, stretched as far away as India.
Alexander, educated by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, conquered many parts of Middle East and Central Asia before dying at the age of 32 in Babylon.
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