The third chamber is underground and has a flight of stairs

All the latest developments regarding the excavation process – Why does Ms Peristeri conviction that the tomb hasn’t been raided seem to prevail

The third chamber constitutes a new riddle of the Tomb and at the same time a reason for optimism for the integrity of its contents.

The riddle has three elements: The longer height of the third chamber – its small entrance compare to the three previous ones – and mainly there is no opening at the fourth septal wall, apart of some removed stones of the blocks, probably from natural causes.

The investigators proceed with extreme care, moving centimeter for centimeter. A first conclusion was that the level of the third chamber in the Tomb is at least seven meters long.

The height difference between the last space that had been discovered until now and the previous chambers is over half a meter, and it signifies an underground tomb construction.

If for example the forth chamber or the next one contains human remains, furniture, movable objects etc., then they probably are literally buried in the earth.

In this militates probably one of the initial estimates of the researchers, who even talked about the possibility of a carved structure, deep inside the tomb.

The second new element that is of great concern to archaeologists, is the small door which was revealed at the fourth wall, with an opening width of only 96 cm. Instead of 1.68 m. of the three previous ones.

Last but not least, as was clarified to protothema.gr by representatives of the Ministry of Culture, the pieces of the fourth wall that seems to be missing from the right part of the wall, are not associated with human action. It is, rather about bricks that have been dislodged, probably due to a seismic event.

This element is critical, as Ms Katerina Peristeri conviction that the tomb hasn’t been raided seem to prevail.

The third chamber, either because of the increased depth and thus the greater amount of embankments, either due to the (almost) intact condition in which was found the fourth wall, is so far the strongest indication that the content of the grave remains untouched.

This week‘s new events