16-year-old Thanassis Bakalis was captivated by the ancient tomb of Amphipolis right from the start and he rushed to the scene. “I want to offer something to my place of birth,” he says while pouring over the press releases of the Ministry of Culture.

He impressed the media and archaeologists alike when he showed up with a group of friends that he organized in order to clean the area following rubbish left by the increased number of visitors to the archaeological site.

“We used to play here as kids,” he says. “ I can’t bear to see it dirty.”