Elaborate 2,700-year-old tomb in Greece contains burial of a woman with an upside-down crown
Greek archaeologists have discovered the tomb of a fallen noblewoman they call “The Lady of the Inverted Tiara.” The 7th century BC burial is notable for the elaborate bronze crown placed upside down on the woman’s head, which may have signified the final end of her power.
The noblewoman’s tomb was discovered in a recently discovered ancient cemetery in east-central Greece, about 95 kilometers northwest of Athens, during construction work, according to a translated November 27 document. statement from the Greek Ministry of Culture. The 40 tombs found so far appear to be the burials of people of high social status who died in the Archaic and Classic periods (800 to 323 BC).
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The woman’s bronze diadem has particularly attracted the attention of archaeologists. It featured a large rose window on the front and a scene of pairs of male and female lions facing each other on the back. But the crown had been placed upside down on the woman’s head, so that the lions appeared to be lying down.
Lions symbolized royal power and authority, the statement said, as can be seen in earlier iconography from the southern Greek city of Mycenae, where the so-called Lion Gate was a powerful symbol of the king’s power in the 13th century BC.
An inverted crown, however, symbolizes the resignation or fall of a ruler. Therefore, this woman may have lost her privileged position during a period of social and political upheaval in the mid-7th century BC, the statement said. This difficult period in Greek history was ultimately resolved by the reforms of the lawgiver Solon which laid the foundations of Athenian democracy in the early 6th century BC.
Archaeologists also discovered the grave of a 4-year-old child near the woman. The child was crowned with a bronze tiara with small rosettes and dated from the same period as the woman, suggesting that they may be related in some way.
Research at the site is ongoing and may reveal additional graves in the near future.
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