Amphipolis tomb’s future is about maintenance, not mystery

What’s happening at Amphipolis now that the spotlight has dimmed?

The mystery occupant of the Amphipolis tomb at Casta Hill dominated the international media a year ago, but now the site lies forgotten. The Central Archeological Council of the Greek Ministry of Culture will decide on the fate of the tomb on Tuesday after the results of the carbon-14 dating were publicised by the lead archeologist Katerina Peristeri on August 11.

The council will examine maintenance work at the tomb without the presence of Peristeri following a sudden illness that led to her hospitalization. The group will need to decide how to proceed with the dig, with the key issue being the stabilization and restoration of the site. This means that the experts will look at building temporary earthworks to secure the slope of the hill, the burial monument, the enclosure and its surroundings as well as the creation of a temporary water drainage system to protect the monument during the autumn rains. Preliminary studies for the maintenance of the third chamber of the tomb and floors will also be examined.

200,000 euros has already been benchmarked for the project and is being held at the Bank of Greece.

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