<![CDATA[The Culture Ministry of Greece announced recently that a stunning mosaic floor, which depicts a chariot in motion, has been uncovered in a burial mound complex located in Amphipolis, Northern Greece. Reports say that the floor is made from blue, black, white, gray, yellow and red coloured pebbles. The mosaic floor was uncovered by a group of archaeologists led by Katerina Peristeri while they were removing soil and dirt fillings from the second chamber of the tomb. This chamber was located behind two huge female statues that are known as the Caryatids. The mosaic flooring is believed to date all the way back to the last quarter of the Fourth Century BC. The flooring covers an entire floor of the chamber which is believed to be 14.7 feet in width and 9.8 feet in length. It depicts a chariot in motion which is flanked by squares, spiral shapes and a twenty three inch border with a double meander. The Culture Ministry mentioned in its statement that the chariot is pulled by two white horses, driven by a bearded man wearing a Lauren wreath. The front of the chariot seems to depict the Greek God Hermes, who was the guide for souls. It was believed that his chariot led the souls from the bodies of the dead to the river Styx banks. Hermes is usually illustrated wearing a cloak, a petasos on his head and winged sandals. The figure on the chariot is holding the caduceus, a winged staff that has two snakes wrapped around it. According to Dorothy King, an archaeologist who is not involved with the excavation process, the figure on the front of the chariot is definitely Hermes. She believes that this is clear from the insignia that can also be seen on numerous Macedonian tombs. However, she raises questions about the identity of the bearded man who is shown riding the chariot. She believes that the profile descriptions suggest that he is Philip II - the father of Alexander the Great. Philip II matches the image of the bearded man portrayed in this beautiful mosaic flooring because he won a wreath at the Olympic Games, and had lost his right eye. The fact that the bearded man is depicted with the laurel wreath on his head, and is shown hiding the right side of his face, has led King to her conclusion. A number of pictures of the mosaic flooring have been released by the Culture Ministry. These pictures show that the centre part of the mosaic flooring is missing. Archaeologists are now trying to piece the flooring back to its original state, after they uncovered a number of pieces from the damaged portion in the tomb. ]]>
Beautiful Mosaic Flooring Uncovered in Greece
