Eventually, had this person said, that the burials are perhaps Alexander's wife Roxanne or Alexander IV?
And what had the Times written in 1977, when along with the findings of Manolis Andronikos in Vergina, this person discovered an extremely important find, which had been reported by Thucydides: the wooden bridge of Amphipolis?
Who was the visionary archaeologist Dimitris Lazaridis (1917-1985), who devoted his life to uncovering ancient Amphipolis, conducted excavations in ancient cities of East Macedonia and Thrace -Avdira (1956-1977), Philippoi (1959-1964), ancient Neapolis, modern-day Kavala (1960-1963), Thasos (1961); organized new museums and carried out restoration projects and enhancement of monuments at the archaeological sites of Philippoi and Thasos?
Pepi Lazaridis, archaeologist, daughter of Dimitris Lazaridis, the man whose bust adorns the entrance of the Museum of Amphipolis -which he created- spoke to TheTOC.gr.
First time at Amphipolis, Autumn 1955
"Lazarides started excavations in 1956, at the cemeteries of the ancient city. He first went to Amphipolis in autumn 1955 as director of the Archeological Ephorate of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace since 1946, he had a huge area of responsibility and action: From Strymon to Evros, and from Samothrace and Thasos. Too many, extremely important archaeological sites, no infrastructure, no museums, no funds for excavations or even warehouses to store findings. Arriving at Amphipolis, he set as his target to mark the cemeteries and excavate them in order to save them from looting. To avoid losing valuable historical information... "
Between 1956 – 1961, he uncovered approximately 400 graves.
"First Amphipolis was a city-state. Which means that it was densely populated with a large area of influence. I recall that the perimeter of the walls is 7 km -the external enclosure, which Lazaridis excavated- and the internal wall of 2,200 m in addition to suburbs and agricultural fields. The cemeteries of the city are always outside the walls, except for the period during which the walls fell into disuse, later, during Roman and Christian times. "
In the five years from 1956 to 1961 he excavated approximately 400 graves, among them one that was unlooted, in which he found a gold crown, gold rings etc. Along with the anxiety to save Amphipolis from looting, Lazaridis dreamt of seeing the city we knew from ancient texts come to life... ".
The first sounding at the Tomb on Kasta Hill
"Yes, in 1964 he made the first sounding revealing 41 meters of the . He believed that the construction of the tumulus, ie the artificial hill (my father estimated at 485 meters, now after full exposure has proven to be 497 meters, missing by 12 meters),was an important technical work -this is the largest tumulus we have seen- and can only conceal something tremendously important. He had written at times in the minutes of the Archaeological Society that it must be a funerary monument of extreme importance, of the Macedonian tomb type, or a heroic funerary monument..."
Lack of money and resources
"Starting the excavation he began finding various retaining walls, which obviously demarcated the time of the construction of the mound, and found part of the inner enclosure. However, the conditions, money, and means of that time did not allow him to reach deeper, or go further, so he excavated a second sounding, which also could not continue due to the large accumulation of soil...”
Burials ancient Amphipolis
"He decided to systematically dig beneath the perimeter, dig the grave from the top down and reveals the “Sema,” the cemetery, a landmark, a building of rubble. And digging into the deeper layers and reaching the bedrock, he found burials, more ancient than the mound. As paradoxical as it may seem, he revealed about 100 tombs, which date back to an earlier era of Amphipolis, tombs associated with the prehistoric Thracian town, Ennea Odoi (Nine Roads). The historical sources verify the finding, both Herodotus and Thucydides. Thucydides was exiled by the Athenians to Skapti Yli (since as "General of Thrace," he failed to save Amphipolis), where his wife owned mines and there wrote the history of the Peloponnesian War, as he witnessed it and as he was directly involved in the Battle of Amphipolis.
In the soundings he carried out, Lazaridis found evidence of prehistoric Neolithic habitation from the first half of the 5th century BC century. These tombs which my father found, which are next to the Tomb at Kasta, as the alleged location of Nine Roads, are considered to be the oldest cemetery in the Nine Roads area.
For some reason, which we are not able to know, the Macedonians or others that built the tomb, respected the older cemetery. However and at Aiges and other places, we have a continuation of the cult of the dead. The ancient tombswer not destroyed ... ".
And then came the Junta and Pompidou ...
"The work of the archaeologist is like a missionary. Not that we are the end-all-be-all sector, but ther is the unbearable anxiety not to cause destruction. And you know, the very meaning of the excavation involves destruction. In the sense that you destroy later phases to uncover older ones.
Since early 1946, when he took up post as the only archaeologist at Archaeological Ephorate of Macedonia and Thrace, money was always scarce. If you read the first recounts of the excavations one wonders how with such limited funds so many discoveries were revealed. Lazarides, however, was a visionary. He had a great ability to implement his dreams. In 1965 he transferred to Athens and first took up the directorship of the First Antiquities Ephorate of Athens and later the Second Antiquities Ephorate of Attica. However, in 1968 the dictatorship suspended him banned his exit form the country.
In 1969, the dictatorship was forced by an intervention of the then French President, Georges Pompidou to allow him to leave the country for a few days to be honored for the excavations of Amphipolis, and he was also declared an honorary doctorof the oldest University in France Besancon ... ".
The Times: Golden Vergina and wooden Amphipolis
TheTOC.gr asked Pepi Lazaridis of the truth to the incident that is being related by the press over the last few days, that when Andronikos revealed the royal tomb at Vergina, Lazaridis said, Andronikos found Philip, Will I not get my Roxane?
"It is not true. Andronikos and Lazaridis were classmates and friends, exchanging thoughts and views, and coexisted in other organizations, conferences, the Central Archaeological Council etc..
In 1977, when Andronikos discovered the tomb of Philip -which we immediately went to see, I was with his father- my father simultaneously made an important discovery at Amphipolis. I refer to the underpinnings of a bridge that Thucydides vividly describes, because the Spartans led by Brasidas passed over it to capture Amphipolis. Both findings caused a sensation. One coincides with an important historical figure, Philip II and the other with an extremely rare technical work of the 5th century BC which has been maintained due to the humidity of the Strymon river. So, the Greek and foreign press wrote about both findings, but the most striking title is a publication by the Times, which says jokingly "Golden Vergina defeats wooden Amphipolis” in the sense that the glitter of gold and stunning art naturaly stole the show. Their relationship was excellent ... "
My Roxanne
"... And to answer as to Roxane, Lazaridis said jokingly, okay we will not find kings here – he knew that the royal cemetery was at Aegaen, the first and sacred Macedonian capital- but may have the burial of some important person. He said this not having yet found the wall. On the other hand, he knew that one cannot have murdered Roxane and the adored son, of the deified Alexander and erect a resplendent monument in their honor. Neither do you place lions -if we assume that the Lion of Amphipolis was placed there (because the pieces were found in the Strymon and has been restored on a consistent base). The lion is a symbol of military valor, not for a woman, nor for a 13 year old boy, as was Alexander IV.
Lazarides never said that Roxanne and Alexander IV were buried at the Kasta Tomb. Lazarides finds the first indications of the tomb, but what he writes in all his reports is only that there must be a very important building there -and this because he finds marble chips, from on the spot carvings..."
Archaeologist Pepi Lazaridis' estimate concerning the Tomb at Kasta
"I visit Amphipolis because I'm working on Lazaridis' last find. You see, the land of Macedonia had one last gift for him before he died: the Gymnasium revealed at Amphipolis, the only one excavated in Macedonia. Wanting to honor his memory the Archaeological Society secured funding and because knewthat I worked with him, they gave me the excavation of the Gymnasium.
Of course I have picture of the Tomb, but we are not yet able to talk.
In it may be buried friends, partners, generals of Alexander the Great who regardless of their origin, from Crete, Lesvos, Limnos or where considered themselves citizens of Amphipolis, because the land had been granted to them.
It may be a funerary monument, a memorial dedicated to people that gloriously fought many battles there. Do not forget the battle of Philippi, in 42 BC. Amphipolis was the camp of Mark Antony and Augustus Octavian.
It may also yield findings from different eras. It presents a curious combination of architectural elements -the lintel, the Sphinx ...
Ms. Katerina Peristeri was an assistant to my father, I know her personally. I wish her every success. I am very excited she is continuing the work of Dimitris Lazaridis ... "
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