ATHENS- Greek archaeologists have discovered an ancient Macedonian tomb, part of a war memorial from the time of Alexander the Great, the Culture Ministry said last Tuesday. „Such buildings are rare,“ the ministry said in a statement. „The monument is of special archaeological importance not just for the Epirus (region) but the whole of Greece.“ The tomb measuring 2.28 by 2.35 metres dates back to Hellenistic times, about 330-150 BC, and is part of a larger memorial which includes an open-air yard and a store-room.
Discovered in September near the northern Greek town of Ioannina, the monument is located on an ancient road leading from the western coastline to the Epirus region. The building had apparently been looted by antiquities smugglers and contained no artefacts. The tomb is close to the Dodoni oracle, where ancient worshippers hoped to receive prophesies from the god Zeus, and which Jason visited on his mythical quest for the golden fleece. Reuters