2,100-year-old burial of woman lying on bronze 'mermaid bed' unearthed in Greece
Gold laurel leaves, likely from a wreath, lay at her head.
A photo of the burial of a woman lying on a bronze bed. She lived sometime during the first century B.C. (Image credit: Image courtesy of Areti Chondrogianni-Metoki)
The Discovery of 2100-Year-Old Burial
According to a Live Science report, a grave dated to the first century B.C. has been found in northern Greece. Areti Chondrogianni-Metoki of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Kozani said that the grave contained the remains of a woman who had been placed on a bed made of mostly of bronze with some wooden parts.
This image shows how the bed would have looked before the burial. It is made largely of bronze but had some wooden parts that have since decayed away. (Image credit: Image courtesy of Areti Chondrogianni-Metoki)
Only the bronze has been preserved. The bed posts were decorated with images of mermaids and a bird holding a snake in its mouth, a symbol of the god Apollo. Gold laurel leaves, thought to have been part of a wreath, were found at her head.
This mermaid head was found on the bed. (Image credit: Image courtesy of Areti Chondrogianni-Metoki)
Gold threads on the woman’s hands may have been part of an embroidered covering, Chondrogianni-Metoki said. Four clay pots and a glass vessel were also found in the burial. At the time, the city of Mavropigi, known for its sanctuary of Apollo, was located nearby, he added.