Macedonian Tomb of Agios Athanasios in Agios Athanasios, Greece
Encased safely inside a concrete protective shell beneath a 12-metre-high burial mound (tumulus) is a late 4th-century BC Macedonian tomb holding a breathtaking secret: flawlessly preserved, 2,400-year-old fresco paintings. Though ancient grave robbers stripped the burial chamber of its gold long ago, they left the spectacular artwork untouched. The tomb's facade features a striking pediment guarded by golden-winged griffins. Below them, a brilliantly detailed symposium frieze captures a lively ancient banquet: six garlanded men recline on couches drinking wine, accompanied by female musicians, while a procession of hunters, horses, and heavily armed infantry approaches. Flanking the heavy stone doorway are two life-sized, melancholic young guards standing a permanent vigil.
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