Kerameikos Cemetery

Burying the Dead

Kerameikos Cemetery is the oldest and most significant burial site in Athens, established during the Archaic period. Half of the dead were cremated and the other half were buried. There is a great disparity in the types of graves which corresponded to how much money and power the deceased or their family had, i.e. "different strokes for different folks."

"Dying to get in..."

At one point a fortified gate to the city was here. An ingenious design was constructed so that the defenders had the upper hand (literally) in the event that an enemy attacked the city.