Amphipolis Tomb: The mystery of the Sphinx head (photos)

The team of archaeologists working at the ancient tomb of Amphipolis have found the missing head of one of the two sphinxes guarding the entrance of the mysterious burial mound. It is a matter of curiosity as to how the head of the sphinx was found in the third chamber. Archaeologists also found some fragments from the wings of the sphinx in the same area.

The head is largely intact apart from slight damage to the nose. It measures 60 centimeters from top to bottom. The features are feminine and bear human characteristics. The head has wave locks falling over the left shoulder bearing traces of red paint. The face is expressionless and the head is tilted sideways, gazing at the person entering the tomb, rather than at the sphinx across.

Like the caryatid statues within the room, the sphinx head also features a supporting basket on the head, known as a canephora, to hold up the dome at the entrance.

“The sphinx’s head belongs to the body of a sphinx which was found previously,” said the statement of the Ministry of Culture. Archaeologists are having a hard time figuring out how the head was transported to the third chamber after the tomb had been sealed.

In a press release, the Greek Culture Ministry underlined that the excavation is in full progress, having reached the entire surface of the third chamber (4.5m x 6m) in a depth of 5.20m from the tomb’s top. In the coming days, archaeologists have scheduled the removal of fallen limestones from the third tomb chamber’s interior and parts of a newly uncovered gate will be revealed.

The northern section of the marble threshold – whose total area is 2.15m x 1.6m x 0.25m – was also uncovered. The threshold has indentations to set the metal runners for the marble doors. There appears to be a floor of whitewashed limestone. Archaeologists found some of the floor’s limestone slabs on either side of the threshold.

It appears that the floor settled in the eastern part, while in the west, the floor is destroyed and its slabs have caved in. Some of these have fallen into the third chamber and will be removed over the coming days.