The tomb of Anthemion is also located in the area of Naoussa, on the borders of the municipality of Anthemion. It is a two-chamber vaulted Macedonian tomb with a temple-shaped facade in the Ionic style. It dates back to the 3rd century BC. The monument is open to the public.
It is one of the most brilliant and best preserved monuments of ancient Mieza. It was built along the course of the ancient road that connected Mieza with the capital of the Macedonian kingdom, Pella. The tomb of Anthemia dates back to the first half of the 3rd century. BC, that is, it is contemporary with the Macedonian tomb of Kinch, which is also located in the same area.
It is an underground burial building, which after the completion of the burial of the deceased and the established rituals in his honor, was covered by a mound that was at least 2.50 m high and 15-17 m in diameter. The tomb is two-chambered, vaulted and has temple-shaped facade with four Ionic semi-columns and written decoration of the architrave of colorful Ionic and Doric waves. Its entrance was closed with six structures made of ashlar.
On the pediment (tympanum height 1 m.) a fine painting is preserved, depicting a mature couple sitting on a banqueting couch. Both figures are clothed in tunic and robe, which the artist has rendered with impressive and rich folds. The crowning of the pediment is made up of three reliefs of hymns with intense shading.
The narrow vestibule of the tomb was painted with pale yellow on the upper part of the walls and black on the lower, the two sections being separated by bands of black and white.
An impressive painting decorates the ceiling of the vestibule: six hymnals in off-white and violet colors alternate with watery flowers and various floral decorations on a blue-green background and the whole composition is reminiscent of flowers floating on the surface of a lake. The vestibule was separated from the main burial chamber by a 3.50 m tall and 0.90 m wide marble double-leaf door, which was decorated with relief motifs.
A four-sided stone base is preserved inside the chamber, on which the vessel or the urn with the bones of the deceased would have been placed.
The vaulted ceiling of the chamber is covered with pale yellow plaster, while the walls are monochromatic and imitate orthomarbling: the lower part is black, the upper part is deep red, and they are separated by a white band. The detail in the design and the polychrome of the Ionic decoration on the facade and vestibule characterize the monument and give valuable information about its dating and also about the great painting in the Greek area during that period.
The Anthemian tomb had been raided many times, especially in antiquity, and few objects were found inside, but they were enough to give an idea of the rich offerings it contained. The most important of the finds are parts of ivory from the relief decoration of the funeral bed.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou