In Thessaloniki, Greece, this time.
Subway workers uncovered about a thousand graves, ranging in age from the first century B.C. to the 5th century A.D., and from simple wooden box burials to elaborate marble family mausoleums. Archaelogists have also found coins, jewelry and artwork in the graves.
The subway dig is scheduled to be completed by 2012. Much like the Roman subway dig, the Greek excavations are bound to turn up more archaeological discoveries.
Maybe because it’s just a bit less overwhelming, but also because its northern/Macedonian focus is a bit narrower, I think I enjoyed the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum more than the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. Which sounds strange, maybe, because the TAM is provincial and NAMA is among the world’s greatest in terms of the quality of its ancient collection. But TAM, like Thessaloniki itself, is a bit more open and manageable.
Anyhow, I wonder what the construction plan is when they encounter things like this. Divert? Or disturb? (The latter, I reckon.)