A Late Hellenistic tomb featuring three chambers came to light on Tuesday afternoon in a plot in Ayios Silas in Limassol during landscaping works. According to reports, an workman hit the roof of a cave which collapsed, to reveal skeletal remains, amphorae and coins.
The Antiquities Department was notified by the police.
According to Yiannis Violaris, an archaeologist of the Antiquities Department’s Limassol District, the tomb is estimated to date between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. So far, seven human skeletons and pottery have been found. Objects of later date also found in the tomb demostrate that its roof might have collapsed at least one more time in the past.
“Archaeologically, it is a very interesting area,” said Violaris, connecting the tomb with several ancient monuments in the area. Northernmost where the church of Ayios Georgios of Viklios is today, there used to be an older temple and the Antiquities Department also found an ancient temple there, while nearby are the ruins of the Ayios Silas Monastery,” said Violaris.
The finds are to be removed from the site within two to three days, while archaeologists are to survey the area in case there are more tombs or other finds of archaeological importance.