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Modern Description: The Mycenaean cemetery at Mitopoli, ca. 20 km SW from Patras at a site called Karayianni just E of Komi village, on the lower slopes of the so-called Mitopolianiko Mountain or Kombovouni. Fenced/locked, by appointment only. From here one can control the plains of northwestern Achaia and the coastal zone of Patraikos Gulf. Seven chamber tombs, cut into the soft rock came to light as a result of a rescue excavation in 1996. They date from the Late Helladic IIIA to the Late Helladic IIIC period (ca. 1400-1100). The exact area of the cemetery has not been defined yet, but it is estimated that it exceeds 2,5 hectares.
The Mycenaeans seem to have settled the area from an early age. The settlement had a primarily agricultural character, orientated towards the exploitation of the plains surrounding it. The cemetery was part of a typical settlement, along with the habitation site, which must have been located on the hills directly above the cemetery.
In the cemetery one can see the characteristic features of Mycenean burial architecture: the tombs have been carved in the soft rock and consist of a descending ramp (the dromos), which lead to a vertical facade with a narrow entrance (the stomion), on it?s lower part, through which one could enter the chamber (the thalamos). The chambers in most cases had a rectangular or circular plan and their ceiling was either vaulted or imitating the roof of a house. The entrance was closed with dry masonry, which would be dismantled and re-built with each successive use of the tomb. The deceased were placed directly on the chamber?s floor and were accompanied by numerous offerings. Older burials were pushed aside, along with their offerings, to make room for the new ones, a practice that lead to the accumulation in the chamber of a large number of artifacts belonging to different periods. Among the burials found in Mitopoli, the one which stands out is that of a warrior in tomb 1,dating to the Late Helladic IIIA:2 period (ca. 1350-40 B.C.)
The Mycenaean site at Mitopoli is one of the most significant ones in western Achaia, which, along with the other ones along the plains of the so-called ?Dymaian land? (after Dyme, the main city of the region in ancient times) had played an important role in the Mycenaen settlement of the region.
Wikidata ID: Q38280747

Info: Odysseus

(Odysseus, Greek Ministry of Culture)

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