Kerameikos cemetery in Athens is one of the essential archaeological landmarks of the city but still it is not often visited by the guests of the capital.
As the name implies, Kerameikos was a village settled by potters, and at the same time, it was the core place where the widely known Attic vases were produced. The part of Kerameikos, which was situated not far from the riverside, was constantly harmed by flowages. For that reason, this area was turned into a gravesite, which later became the major cemetery of ancient Athens.
Potters came to the Kerameikos area from the territory near the Iridanos river with clay banks. It crosses the Kerameikos landmark. For hundreds of years the river has been buried under a landfill to a depth of 8 or 9 metres. It was discovered again during the archaeological dig as lately as in the 1960s.
Apparently, the cemetery had been constantly broadening since the Submycenaean period (1100–1000 BC). During the geometric (1000–700 BC) and the archaic periods (700–480 BC), a lot of new tombs appeared. They were located inside mounds and were marked with grave monuments. The cemetery was continually used from 338 BC to about the 6th century AD.
The well-known Athenian vases were made by Kerameikos masters. One of them is the “Dipylon Oinochoe” — it has the earliest lettering dating back to the 8th century BC engraved on it.
The archaeological dig of the Kerameikos cemetery in Athens started at the end of the 19th century. The German archeological institute has carried out the works since 1913.
In 2004 the paths for visitors were made, the buildings were restored, the information signs were set up and an amphitheatre was constructed. In addition, the land plots in the neighbourhood were expropriated, so it makes it possible to broaden the cemetery and to make more excavations.
The Kerameikos archeological landmark consists of the part of the Themistokles’ wall, the Dipylon Gates and the Sacred Gates, Pompeion, the grave wall of Hegeso stele, Demosion Sema and other important architectural monuments.
The Themistokles’ wall was run up in 478 BC, after the retreat of the Persian forces. Its construction was aimed at protection of the city from the Spartan invasion. It marked Kerameikos off for the inside and the outside parts. The inner part was settled by people, while the cemetery was left outside. Nowadays a section of wall that crossed Kerameikos, and two important gates have survived: the Dipylon, the largest gates of Athens, and the Sacred gates. These were a place where the Eleusinian Mysteries procession was starting to move from. And the Panathenaic procession was setting from the Dipylon.
During the classical period (5th–6th centuries BC), the streets were scattered with cemeteries and family grave monuments, which were often decorated with bas-reliefs. The most famous among them are the Dexileo tomb, the Hegeso Stele (it dates back to about 400 BC), the Demetria and Pamphile bas-relief and the marble bull from the funerary enclosure of Dionysius of Kollit (it dates back to about 345 BC).
Kerameikos is located on the northwestern edge of the city. There are various ways to reach it:
The list of free admission days and working hours for public holidays is here.
Free entrance is allowed to:
The Kerameikos excavation site is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility through the main entrance at 148 Ermou street.
The visually impaired visitors can use the tactile site plans with Braille type in Greek and English at the information desk.
