Archaeological Sites

The most important and extensive evidence obtained to date regarding the inhabitants and the social structure of ancient Akanthos comes from the excavations of its cemetery. Systematic research excavation began in 1973 and continues to this day.

The cemetery occupies an area of approximately 60 hectares and it is in close proximity to the coastal zone of the present-day settlement of Ierissos. The number of deceased identified exceeds 13.200, while two spatial, typological and chronological stages of cemetery-use can be differentiated: the inland cemetery, which dates back to the Iron Age, and the seaside cemetery, where the coexistence of graves from different periods in two, three or even several overlapping levels in the same area, indicates its continuous use from the 7th century BC until the 4th century AD.

Multiple burials in large pithoi decorated with a plastic rope band at the level of the shoulder are prevalent in the inland cemetery, (which holds a total of 280 graves to date). The mouths of the pithoi were usually sealed with schist slabs, while, in most cases, the characteristic solid stone enclosures (peribolos) surround only part of the burial vessels. Pit burials, defined by stones, are rare and cremations are even rarer. Gold hair ornaments and rings, copper buckles, spiral bracelets and buttons accompany female burials as grave goods, while iron daggers accompany male burials. The vessels that accompany the dead are mainly jugs with cutaway spout and cups.

In the seaside cemetery, the inhumations are most often in a supine position – with exceptions, with the arms parallel to the body and the head to the East or Southeast. On the contrary, the orientation of the burial vessels shows a relatively extensive variation. The graves are of the known type used in antiquity, with pit graves being more common (simple or covered with clay). Their position was often marked by simple stones, while the nails that were often found indicate the use of wooden coffins. Certain inhumations with iron fetters on their feet are of interest, for which the prevailing opinion is that they were long-term convicts. Inhumation in vessels (enchytrismos) was the main form of children burials and the process of placing infants in a vessel required the artificial rupture of the vessel and its subsequent covering with the fragments of the same or another vessel.

There is a significant quantity of tile-covered graves present, where the tiles served as a covering structure of the body, while clay sarcophagi appear less often (sometimes simple, sometimes adorned on the rim and more often with a relief Ionic wave line). The presence of built cist-graves, which are associated with the use of the cemetery in the Roman period, is even rarer.

The practice of cremation is usually carried out in pits (plain or lined with bricks), while urns are also found in rare cases, in which the ashes of the deceased were subsequently stored.
The grave goods that accompanied the dead were usually clay vessels (Corinthian cotylae and aryballoi, Attic lekythoi, kylikes and skyphoi), which declined during the Hellenistic period, while red-figure and glass vessels predominated in the Roman period. Local production reflects all periods of the cemetery.
Figurines were mainly placed in children burials, while the practice of placing wreaths on the graves of young children or women is also widespread. Gold and silver jewelry (lionhead earrings or cupid earrings, rings/seals with semi-precious stones, copper bracelets with snake-shaped endings, etc.) adorned female burials, while the burials of children are almost always accompanied by bone astragals. It is worth noting that infants, children and adults have been buried without being segregated in the seaside cemetery, while some burials of animals such as dogs and horses (beloved animals of the dead) have also been identified.