Early Bronze Age pithos burial uncovered in Greece

An exceptionally important pithos burial dating to the Early Bronze Age (3200-2000 BC) was uncovered in Rafina, Greece, during rescue excavations carried out by the Ephorate of Antiquities of East Attica.

The excavations have been underway since 2024 ahead of works to establish the boundary and stabilise the banks of a ravine, CE Report quotes ANA-MPA.

According to an announcement by the Ministry of Culture of Greece, the pithos had been placed in a pit dug into the clay soil of the stream's southern bank. It stands 1.74 m high and features horizontal handles at the widest part of its body, as well as the characteristic rope-like relief decoration around the neck and the handles. Its mouth was sealed by a sturdy semicircular wall constructed of river pebbles, while two large stones with smaller slab-like stones between them formed a pseudo-doorway into the interior of the vessel, complete with jambs and a threshold. Inside, on a layer of sand and pebbles, the bones of two individuals were found, covered by large stones that occupied almost the entire available space.

The grave goods include a bronze tweezer, an oval slab-like stone (table), obsidian points, and pottery vessels. The particular care taken in shaping the monument reflects the respect shown to the deceased. This isolated burial, despite the presence of organised cemeteries from the same period at Tsepi and Mati in Marathon, Agios Kosmas in Elliniko, and Asteria in Glyfada, provides valuable evidence for the diversity of funerary practices in Attica during the 3rd millennium BC, as well as for Cycladic and eastern influences.

As the same announcement noted, at a distance of approximately 2 metres southeast of the pithos, a large circular pit was identified, showing long-term use and traces of burning. In its upper section, a bucranium (architectural decoration in the shape of an ox skull) was found together with pottery and bronze coins from historical times, while near the bottom, on a thick burnt layer, the skeleton of an equid and the bones of smaller animals were revealed. Archaeological study, combined with zooarchaeological research and analyses from the natural sciences, is expected to shed light on possible ritual practices involving animal sacrifices, as well as on the site's enduring sacred character over time.

Seventy-five years after Dimitrios Theocharis uncovered Early Bronze Age settlements in the area of the ancient harbour (Eleftherios Venizelos Square) and on the Asketario peninsula, the recent finds along the stream's banks provide new data on the social organisation and post-mortem beliefs of the communities of Rafina.