Ancient tomb, theatre unearthed
2007-04-05 13:08
Athens - Greek archaeologists have uncovered an intact tomb and what was likely a Roman theatre on the Ionian Sea island of Cephalonia, announced the culture ministry on Wednesday.
The findings include a space of about eight metres long and six metres wide with a vaulted tomb, a stone coffin and two funeral vases, among other items, said the ministry.
The front of the tomb is "particularly interesting", according to the ministry, with a stone door with two bolts that opens normally.
The vases in the tomb are made of glass and ceramic. There were also gold rings and earrings, copper keys and coins.
At another section of the searched property, archaeologists found what looks to have been a theatre.
Further digging will occur to better identify the monument, the ministry said.
The part of the supposed theatre already uncovered includes an orchestra section and four rows of terraces.
It is the first of its kind to be discovered on a Greek island in the Ionian Sea which separates Greece from Italy, according to the ministry.
It is similar to theatres found in Ambracia in western Greece and Alexandria in Egypt.
Fiskardo, the village on the island where the discoveries were made, was an important maritime port in the ancient world between Italy and Greece.