DISCOVER POROS

Ο Γιωργος Γκιαφης κοινοποίησε τη σημείωση του χρήστη Discover Kefalonia & Ithaki.

Poros, a new village situated in an archaeological area of high importance.

DISCOVER KEFALONIA & ITHAKI·.

The area you see in this photograph, and before Poros village was built, used to be a plain for the cultivation of - mainly - currents. Nobody was living here except for one or two fisher families. When Poros was built fifty years ago to meet the housing needs of the inhabitants of several mountain villages that were destroyed completely in the ‘53 earthquake, nobody had any idea of the archaeological importance of this area.

The significant and rare discovery in 1992 of the Mycenaean royal tholos tomb in Tzannata (1350-1100 B.C.) by Makis Metaxas who in that time was the mayor of the area was the beginning of a series of archaeological digs.

Only kings were buried in these monumental tombs from the Mycenaean era. During the three-year dig of the tholos tomb, significant findings were brought to the daylight. The most important findings are displayed in the archaeological museum of Argostoli, which regretfully is closed to the public due to earthquake damage. The responsible archaeologist Dr. Kolonas made a connection between the tholos tomb and the kingdom of Odysseus, described in Homer’s ‘Odyssee.' At the moment a forensic anthropologist, Dr. John Albanse from Vancouver, Canada, is conducting a DNA research of the bones that were found in the tomb.

When you find a tholos tomb of this significance, the next question is: where did the people live? To find the settlement is often a matter of luck. The first step was made about five years ago, when the archaologist Odysseas Metaxas located the remains of walls from the

Mycenaean period in a plot of land neighbouring the tholos tomb area. Dr. Vassilakis, the responsible archaeologist, found the remains of a large building from the early Mycaenean period (1500 B.C.). As Dr. Kolonas did, Dr. Vasillakis also made the connection between the found antiquities and Homer’s Ithaca.

It is important to know that Kefalonia is the only island of the Ionian islands which is so rich in findings from the Mycenaean period. The Mycenaens left their marks in different areas of Kefalonia. The tholos tomb in Tzannata is indisputabily the most important monument found until now.

The tomb is open every day for visitors from 8-3. Closed on Mondays and public holidays.

For all of you who are interested in ancient mysteries: http://homericithaca.blogspot.gr/Th... blog is dedicated to one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world, Homer’s Ithaca. Τhese last years, significant excavations are in progress in the area of Southeastern Kefalonia, which bring to the surface important discoveries of the era of Ulysses (Mycenaean period). Here you will read more about the searching of Homeric Ithaca and the center of Odysseus’ kingdom.