ATHENS, GREECE—The Greek City Times reports that excavations ahead of construction work near the Athens International Airport uncovered pieces of an ancient white marble sculpture of two women. The two main fragments, found facing each other, are thought to have been part of a burial monument. One piece depicts a seated woman wearing a transparent robe. Her feet rest on a footstool. This part of the statue is thought to represent the woman buried in the tomb. To her left, a servant stands resting her head in her left hand. Researchers from Greece’s Ministry of Culture and Sports suggest the sculptures were erected in the cemetery before 317 B.C., when luxurious burial monuments were outlawed by Demetrius of Phaleron, who had been appointed ruler of Athens by the Macedonian king Cassander. To read about lead curse tablets discovered in Athens’ Kerameikos cemetery, go to “The Cursing Well.”
