Amphipolis tomb mosaic may hold clue to mysterious occupant

A CHILLING tale of lost love is echoing through the millennia as archaeologists delve into the mysteries of an immense 2300-year-old Greek burial mound.

This picture provided by Greece's Culture Ministry on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014, shows the ancient Greek god of the underworld, Pluto, abducting the goddess Persephone on a horse-drawn chariot, in a detail from a large composition on a mosaic floor found in a large 4th century B.C. tomb at Amphipolis in northern Greece. The ministry said Thursday that archaeologists excavating the large, apparently plundered tomb have uncovered the entire 3-by-4.5 meter (10-by-15 ft.) mosaic, which is fringed with a geometric pattern. The excavation is continuing, with archaeologists hoping to locate the remains of a senior ancient official linked with the warrior-king Alexander the Great _ who was buried in Egypt. (AP Photo/Greek Culture Ministry)

A CHILLING tale of lost love is echoing through the millennia as archaeologists delve deeper into the mysteries of an immense 2300-year-old burial mound in Greece.

As diggers prepare to enter a fourth chamber this weekend, Classical scholars have been pondering pictures of a remarkable mosaic uncovered late last week.

It shows a young, red-haired woman wearing a white dress, a jewelled bracelet — and a forlorn expression on her face.

She is shown being snatched from life and raced towards the underworld by no less than the King of Death — the Greek god Hades. The messenger of the gods, Hermes, runs alongside.

The prospect of becoming Queen of the Underworld clearly held no joy for Persephone, a daughter of Zeus.

But her image may hold clues as to the identity of the noble buried in the enigmatic, marble-walled mausoleum.

Is it Alexander the Great’s mother? Or perhaps his wife?

Speculation and debate is rampant among scholars anxious for the largest antique tomb ever discovered in Greece — uncovered in August near the northern town of Amphipolis — to give up its long-held secrets.

Revealing image ... Archaeologists excavating the large, apparently plundered tomb have uncovered the entire 3-by-4.5 meter mosaic, which is fringed with a geometric pattern. Picture: AP / Greek Culture Ministry)

MOTHER OF A LIVING GOD?

Excavation of the 4.5 metre by three metre floor mosaic, very much in the style of the Macedonian empire of the fourth century BC, was competed late last week.

The mosaic, made of tiny pieces of white, black, blue, red, yellow and grey, “Is obviously the abduction of Persephone by Hades,” the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sport said in a statement.

There is widespread speculation over who was buried at the site: from Roxana, the Persian wife of Alexander the Great, to Olympias, the king’s mother, to one of his generals.

“It’s too early to say if this is a royal tomb,” tight-lipped chief archaeologist at the site Katerina Peristeri said. Some say it may be a cenotaph — a monument built as a memorial instead of as a tomb. “(But) without doubt the deceased was extremely important.”

Greek authorities say the style and subject matter of the mosaic is very similar to a wall painting from the tomb of Alexander the Great’s father — Philip II — implying ties to the royal family itself.

And as the mosaic shows a woman being led to the underworld, it has increased speculation that the tomb contains a female occupant.

Historians know both Queen Olympias and Alexander’s wife Roxana were in the area of Amphipolis when they died. Both were put to death by one of the dead conqueror’s returning generals, Cassander, in his efforts to secure the Macedonian throne for himself.

Hope amid grief ... The large, damaged mosaic floor is believed to show the Ancient Greek god of the underworld, Hades, abducting the goddess Persephone on a horse-drawn chariot as the god Hermes looks on. Picture: AP / Greek Culture Ministry

DEFYING DEATH

According to Greek mythology, Zeus, pressed by Persephone’s grief-stricken mother Demeter, sent Hermes to bring her back.

But Hades — desperate to keep his pretty young wife — had her first taste red pomegranate seeds. The fruit of life compelled Persephone to return to him for part of every year.

It’s an ancient legend used to explain the coming and going of the seasons. After all, Persephone’s mother was the goddess of the harvest.

It’s also a story of defying death which may have given comfort to grieving relatives of the Classical period.

Katerina Peristeri told a news conference that the mosaic’s theme was “purely to do with death”.

“But the scene represented in the form of a mosaic is unique in Greece,” the secretary-general of the culture ministry, Lina Mendoni, said.

Guardians ... the sphinxes at the entrance to the ancient burial site near Amphipolis, northern Greece. Picture: AP / Greek Culture Ministry

ENTERING THE FOURTH CHAMBER

Archaeologists are this weekend expected to breach a marble door at the rear of the third chamber, itself not yet fully excavated.

The new, fourth, chamber is believed to be the main burial or memorial vault.

The rubble-filled third chamber has a vaulted ceiling carrying traces of paint, though no images have yet been found. It’s floor is yet to be uncovered.

So far excavations have revealed two headless sphinxes at the massive structure’s entrance and two caryatids — columns in the form of female figures — guarding the door to the second chamber containing the mosaic.