Kerameikos

Athens, Greece

Kerameikos was the potters' quarter of the city, from which the English word 'ceramic' is derived, and was also the site of an important cemetery and numerous funerary sculptures erected along the road out of the city towards Eleusis.

The earliest tombs at the Kerameikos date from the Early Bronze Age (2700-2000 BC), and the cemetery appears to have continuously expanded from the sub-Mycenaean period (1100-1000 BC). In the Geometric (1000-700 BC) and Archaic periods (700-480 BC) the number of tombs increased; they were arranged inside tumuli or marked by funerary monuments. The cemetery was used incessantly from the Hellenistic period until the Early Christian period (338 BC until approximately the sixth century AD).

The most important Athenian vases come from the tombs of the Kerameikos. Among them is the famous “Dipylon Oinochoe”, which bears the earliest inscription written in the Greek alphabet (second half of the eighth century BC). The site's small museum houses the finds from the Kerameikos excavations.

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Address

Melidoni 15, Athens, Greece
See all sites in Athens

Details

Founded: 2700 BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Greece

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
odysseus.culture.gr

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Santiago (3 months ago)
It is recommended to buy the combined ticket for visiting the Acropolis, which gives access to different arqueological sites including this one. The site has also a small museum, with some interesting tombstones. The archeological site gives a very nice overview of how the antique Athens looked like.
Lise Galuga (3 months ago)
A lovely cemetery in a quiet area of Athens. We enjoyed the peace and tranquility away from the large crowds on the Acropolis.
Oleksandr Garagatyi (3 months ago)
Somewhat interesting site. Was great to find there turtles. Don’t forget to go to a mini museum on site.
Anastassiya O (3 months ago)
The place is nice to visit and there cane you walk inside and outside. If it has a good weather, I think it will be nice to walk outside. There are different of things to see.
tim derrett (4 months ago)
Quiet compared to more central sites, but only 10 mins further away. Lovely setting and great history about the main ancient city gatehouse and it's relationship with acropolis. My favourite site after Parthenon itself.
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