Treasures from The Griffon Warrior's tomb to be displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Kalamata, Greece in 2021.

Treasures from The Griffon Warrior's tomb to be displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Kalamata, Greece in 2021.
Nestor, the old wise Mycenaean king who was one of the participants in the Trojan War, was a real historical figure. His palace was discovered in 1939 by Dr. Carl W. Blegen of the University of Cincinnati, and Greek archaeologist, Dr. Konstantine Kourouniotis. University of Cincinnati researchers continue to excavate the area near the ancient city of Pylos in Greece today under the auspices of The Griffon Warrior Project.
In 2015, the team discovered a shaft tomb adjacent to the palace. Inside, they found the skeleton of a single adult male surrounded by an enormous hoard of over 3000 bronze, silver, gold and ivory artifacts, many of them produced in Crete. The warrior lay on his back with a meter-long sword, its hilt coated with gold, and gold-hilted dagger on his chest. Gold cups rested on the warrior’s chest and stomach and by his right side were hundreds of carnelian, amethyst, amber, and gold beads. A gold chain and a pendent, dozens of seal-stones carved with intricate designs, and four gold rings glittered beside him. A plaque of ivory with a representation of a griffon in a rocky landscape lay between the man’s legs. Nearby was a bronze mirror with an ivory handle. Archaeologists estimate the warrior lived between 1500-1450 BCE, actually before the Palace of Nestor was constructed.
The archaeological site was reopened to the public in June 2016. Plans are underway to exhibit finds from the warrior's grave for the first time in Greece at the Archaeological Museum of Kalamata, as part of national bicentennial celebrations in 2021.



Image: The exquisitely detailed "combat agate" found in the Griffin Warrior's tomb. Image courtesy of the Griffin Warrior Project.

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