Necropolis at Archontiko

One hundred forty-two graves have been excavated at this necropolis to date. Forty-nine of them were of the Iron Age and were mainly pit graves with typical symbols of wealth: jewelry, weapons, and pottery pieces. Sixty-six of the graves were from the Archaic period and were once again pit graves. Male warriors tended to be buried with weapons, vessels of clay and bronze, iron models of carriages and furniture, and terracotta female figurines. Twenty-eight of the graves were from the Classical and Early Hellenistic periods; these show a slight shift from pit graves to tiled graves. These graves once again displayed status through the various vessels, coins, jewelry, busts, and terracotta figures that were included in them. These luxury items show the commercial links Macedonia had to the Western and Eastern Aegean.

The preliminary analysis of the necropolis suggests a hierarchy among the male graves in the Archaic period, defined by the range and complexity of grave goods; warriors appear to have been elevated above other members of the community. A similar hierarchy also appears within the female graves, possibly reflecting the wives of these men. The Archaic graves at Archontiko show patterns similar to those of other Late Archaic cemeteries of Lower Macedonia and the coasts of the Thermaic Gulf.