Untouched Mycenaean Family Tomb Found Near Aigio, Greece

Most Mycenaean tombs get reused, robbed, or both over the centuries. The one archaeologists just opened near Aigio, Greece, escaped all of that.

A Tomb That Was Never Looted

The discovery comes from the Trapeza plateau, a site eight kilometers southwest of Aigio in western Greece identified with the ancient city of Rhypes. Andreas G. Vordos, an archaeologist with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Achaea who directs the excavation, confirmed that the tomb, catalogued as Tomb 9, had never been disturbed by looters. His team found the last burials placed inside it along with mostly whole pottery, jewelry, and bronze objects, still in their original context.

One Family, Generations of Burials

The wider cemetery stayed in use from the 14th century BC until the end of the Mycenaean world in the late 12th century BC, spanning roughly two centuries. Vordos said the site functioned as a burial ground for generations of a single family line, with members of one clan buried together inside the same tomb. Samples from the remains have been sent to Leipzig for genetic analysis, aiming to establish exactly how everyone buried there was related. Specialized publications are expected once that work is complete.

A Settlement Older Than the Tomb

Research at the cemetery runs alongside work at a nearby prehistoric settlement, led by Elisabetta Borgna of the University of Udine. Located about 500 meters from the Trapeza plateau, the settlement predates the Mycenaean cemetery, dating back to around 2000 BC, and partly overlaps with it in time. Excavators have found houses, a large public building, and infant burials placed beneath the floors, a practice Vordos described as common for the period.

What Comes Next

Vordos originally expected the dig to wrap up last year, but new finds kept it going, and he now believes this will be the final excavation season at the tomb site. A second phase, beginning in early September, shifts focus to the historical-era city of ancient Rhypes itself, including its marketplace and a building identified as a heroon, a monument tied to hero worship that has already produced significant finds from the Classical period.

Sources

This report draws on original reporting by GreekReporter.com, including direct interviews with excavation director Andreas G. Vordos.