page_title: Necropolises of Pydna
section_title: Southern necropolis
hierarchical_section_title: Necropolises of Pydna / Burial objects / Southern necropolis
caption_attribution_description: English: Pydna, southern necropolis
context_page_description: There are some Macedonian tombs and the necropolises of Pydna around ancient Pydna and beside the ancient road from Methone in the north to Dion in the south. The oldest tombs are from the Bronze Age, the youngest from the early Christian period. Smaller tumuli have been eroded over the centuries and are now no longer visible. Most excavations have had to be carried out as rescue excavations. The finds, both in ancient Pydna and in the necropolises, show a shrinking population during the period of the second Greek colonization.
context_section_description: Near the salt mines of Kitros lie the graves of the southern necropolis of Pydna. It is much smaller than the northern cemetery, but the tombs are more magnificent. Archaeologists assume that the wealthier inhabitants of Pydna were buried here. The excavations began in 1984 and were stopped in 2003 after several breaks. To date, 83 graves have been uncovered, but they form only a part of the southern necropolis. The oldest graves date back to 350 BC, and the last burial places are dated to 146 BC. They thus represent the largest period of burial culture from the ascent to the fall of the Macedonian kingdom.
  The graves can be dated in three phases:
  From 350 BC until the first years of the reign of King Antigonus Gonatas (276-239 BC). The largest and the most magnificent of the tombs date from this period. They were used partly (probably by families) for decades.
  From the beginning of the 3rd century BC, Macedonian unicameral tombs were preferred, and in some cases included several people. This type lasted until the first half of the 2nd century BC.
  From the second half of the 2nd century BC, single graves predominated again.
  Most of the graves were still untouched, and inside the looted graves, non-metallic objects remained; the grave robbers were obviously only interested in precious metals (possibly also in weapons). Noteworthy is the grave of a physician, whose grave goods were his medical instruments.
caption: Pydna, southern necropolis
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