At the estate of Dr. Antonis Chrysou, in Aperi, during the construction of a retaining wall, three were found a short while ago tombs, which date back to the late 5th and early 4th centuries B.C.!
These are truly remarkable discoveries! As the archaeologist explains in *Karpathian News*, Ms. Vasiliki Patsiada, which conducted the archaeological excavation at the site; the two tombs were discovered during wall construction, and the Chrysou family immediately notified the Archaeological Service in order to proceed with the necessary excavations. In fact, a third tomb was discovered during the excavations. All of the tombs were undisturbed and contained two skeletons each. In one of them, there were several grave goods (objects) and rings that had been placed with the deceased. In one of the other two graves, a fragment of a red-figure skyphos (a type of ancient Greek vase) was found outside the grave.
The findings—including bones and any other objects that were discovered—were transported to and are currently located at the Archaeological Museum of Karpathos and they will soon be sent to Rhodes for further study by archaeologists from the Ministry of Culture.
Ο Dr. Antonis Chrysos, who owns the estate, is a cardiac surgeon; he lives and works in the U.S. He usually visits his hometown, Karpathos, during the summers. Through family members, we’ve learned that the discovery of the graves was a pleasant surprise for Dr. Chrysos, and in fact, as they told us, it is a great honor for everyone in the family to learn that people lived 2,500 years ago on the very land where their homes now stand. They also thank the Archaeological Service for its prompt action and immediate response! In fact, Mr. Chrysos will not cover the tombs, and for this reason, a new architectural design has already been created for the wall so that the tombs remain visible and can be viewed by those who are interested.
As archaeologist Ms. Patsiada reported to *Karpathian News*, very close to the Chrysou estate, in the area of the Aperio sports field, a similar tomb was discovered in 1974, which is still on display at the Karpathos Museum! “These are significant findings,” Ms. Patsiada notes, “because Aperi, along with Arkasa and Vroukounta, were the three ancient cities of Karpathos, and they will assist us in our comprehensive research on the region.”.
It is worth noting that objects corresponding to the Geometric Period! These are tombs discovered by Italian archaeologists in 1932. The artifacts were found on Rhodes. These finds have been transferred to and are now on display at the Archaeological Museum of Karpathos.
