Excavation proceeds at Amphipolis and speculations abound regarding the mysterious owner of the tomb. The dig team is now very close to the burial chamber and several theories have been proposed, either by archaeologists or by local and foreign media regarding its contents.

Despite their many differences, these theories have something in common: They all acknowledge that it is very likely the majestic grave had been looted at some point in the past.

The recent unearthing of the head of one of the sphinxes adorning the entrance of the tomb supports this theory, as it seems to confirm the presence of grave robbers who entered the tomb in search of gold and other valuable artifacts.

Classical Archaeology Professor Petros Themelis told Ta Nea newspaper that this is “further proof that the monument has been looted.”

According to the professor, there are also other clues confirming the looting: the holes in the walls, the broken door and mosaic’s damages, “as the grave robbers often thought, in some cases rightly so, that the mosaics were concealing treasures.”

“Our experience has shown that the first generation of grave robbers seek gold. They don’t even think of taking anything else. However, the monument of Amphipolis has also been looted by poor scrap-metal seekers that appeared in the Christian Middle Ages, sometime between the 8th-9th century. Those were people looking for metal to construct agricultural tools at a time when trade routes were closed…The first generation of grave robbers were motivated by greed. They wanted the gold. And they could have acted just a generation after the construction of the tomb,” said Mr. Themelis.