New finds at rich ancient cemetery in Greece

google.com ^ | Sep 17, 2009‎ | AP

[Nikas777]

New finds at rich ancient cemetery in Greece

(AP) – Sep 17, 2009‎

THESSALONIKI, Greece — Archaeologists in Greece say a sprawling ancient cemetery dating to the 6th century B.C. has yielded dozens of rich grave offerings, including weapons and gold ornaments.

Archaeologist Pavlos Chrysostomou says 50 new graves were discovered at Arhontiko, near the ancient city of Pella, birthplace of Alexander the Great. Among the finds were two bronze helmets with gold inlay, iron weapons, statuettes and pottery.

[Nikas777]

ping

[Sacajaweau]

My thoughts on this grave robbing.....Cover the entire area with concrete and leave it be....These places were created as “Do Not Disturb” areas. Rest in Peace means just that!!

[Tennessee Nana]

WOW

Wonder what kind of condition they are in ???

[Blood of Tyrants]

Exactly. Just because the graves are old is no reason to disturb them.

[Nikas777]

I wish I had pictures also.

[lack-of-trust]

funny,

I clicked on this post just to wonder:

How old does a grave have to be to make the transition from robbery to Archeology?

(I don’t knwo the answer)

[Sacajaweau]

I’m sure they have many duplicates that were NOT taken from gravesites.

[Tennessee Nana]

Some of these antiquities are beautiful considering their primitive tools..

[Sunshine Sister]

I agree completely. If it’s okay to rob ancient graves then it must be okay to dig up grandma huh?

[SunkenCiv]

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[TheOldLady]

Grave robbing is theft for one’s own use or sale of the items. If you dig up granny to steal her earrings, that’s grave robbing.

Archeology is the study of the ancients to better understand their history and their daily lives. The items go to museums so that many people may learn the history of the people who used them, and the archeologists finance their next dig.

I really don’t see the moral equivalence, but if you’re passionate about it, maybe you could start a movement to have the items cleaned, photographed, and reburied at the site.

Just a thought.

[TASMANIANRED]

Where do you cross the line from archeology and grave robbing?

[wildbill]

If it goes in your pocket, it’s grave robbing. If it goes into a museum to teach the modern world about the old, it’s educational grave robbing.

[Nikas777]

Thanks to you guys I won’t look at mummified remains the same way again.....

[Sunshine Sister]

Disturbing any grave no matter how old it is is grave robbing in my mind. When they dug up King Tut they put his body on display for heavens sake. I’m sorry, the dead should be left alone.

[eleni121]

The main problem with not preserving and cataloging these ancient graves and their artifacts is that there are looters - both individuals and state - who will do far worse at some point.

Either they will loot to profit or loot to destroy.

There are many examples of this throughout history.

[Nikas777]

I am OK with grave robbing - err - archeological digs.

What is amazing is that no one in all that time found these to dig up. This is not exactly an isolated part of Greece.

[TheOldLady]

So, are you going to lead the movement to have all the antiquities photographed and re-interred? I won’t be joining you because I disagree, but you certainly have the courage of your convictions if you do it.

[Sunshine Sister]

We will agree to disagree. I don't mind seeing artifacts from other centuries, I just don't want to see things that were buried with a body. Squeamish I guess.

[TheOldLady]

We will agree to disagree.

Of course, FRiend. :-)

[John O]

Disturbing any grave no matter how old it is is grave robbing in my mind. When they dug up King Tut they put his body on display for heavens sake. I’m sorry, the dead should be left alone.

It's just dirt. It's not like the former inhabitants of that particular piece of dirt are ever going to come back and reclaim it. When the final trump sounds some will get new bodies and some won't get bodies at all.

I have no problem with digging up old graves.

I'd recommend that if you don't like the thought of your treasures being dug back up (out of a loved one's grave), don't bury them.

[Sunshine Sister]

No treasures have been buried except the people who are gone.

I think part of my feelings about the dead come from seeing things that should have never been displayed. I was a young kid when my family went to Shakopee, MN to a historical bar. My memory may be fuzzy because this was decades ago. In this bar the bar itself was covered with silver dollars. There was a display case of other "wild west" stuff, one of which was a skull with a bullet hole in the forehead. This was long before political correctness and plastic so I'm pretty sure it was the real deal. It made fascinated me until it dawned on me what I was looking at.

I understand there is historical and forensic research that may help people in the future but still...........dry old information is some book of anthropology just has no fascination for me.