Amphipolis: Artist gives a geometrical perspective

Artist Gerasimos Gerolymatos lets the numbers do the talking in his geometrical designs of the ancient tomb at Amphipolis

Artist and designer Gerasimos G. Gerolymatos focused on the ancient tomb of Amphipolis with a series of interesting line drawings. These are featured on his blog – peritexnisologos.blogspot (“Peri Texnis Logos” means “The Word About Art”). He states in his blog that the object of the sketches aren’t to add to the “confusion that already exists” but to give “another perspective that can help us to acquire a clear perception of the sheer size of the monument.”

He admits that his approach is that of an artist as he is neither an archaeologist nor a historian, however he did carefully study the data published by the Ministry of Culture and was able to detail the size and give a geometric scale of the tomb.

Free data recording and elements on a slightly sloping floor plan of the tomb without scale with a direction to the southwest.

Free data recording and elements on a slightly sloping floor plan of the tomb without scale with a direction to the southwest.

The scale - a comprehensive plan of the Tomb - is at a ratio of 1,000:1

The scale – a comprehensive plan of the Tomb – is at a ratio of 1,000:1

The design is at a ratio of 150:1 and details the 1st, 2nd and 3rd chambers

The design is at a ratio of 150:1 and details the 1st, 2nd and 3rd chambers

Geometrically speaking, Mr. Gerolymatos points out the following:

* One of the burial chambers that is 6 meters in length would fit 3 rows of 26 other same-sized chambers on the axis of the shaft diameter of 158.40 meters.

* The entrance width – measured between 4.5-5 meters – accounts for 1/100 of the total perimeter of the enclosure that is almost 500 meters or 497 meters to be more precise.

* The Lion of Amphipolis is at a height of 5.30 meters, meaning that the  structure would fit standing up or lying down within the antechamber of teh sphinx guards, however it would need two and a half chambers to be included with its base.

* The length of the enclosure is the sum of 25 funerary monuments in a row – 32.6 times the height of the Lion of Amphipolis with its base.

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