Tholos tomb I of Tragana

At the site Viglitsa Spyros Marinatow discovered two tholos tombs, built on the remains of an earlier settlement. Tomb I had a diameter of 7.30 meters and is dated in ca 1600 B.C. It was used throughout down to the Early Geometric period. Among the movable finds count three pithoid aphorae with floral patterns consisting of ivy leaves and lillies and a bronze two-eared vessel, found in the dromos. The former items are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Chora. Furthermore the excavations yielded a sealing gem depicting a winged griffin as well as a clay pyxis of the 12th century B.C. with a rare depiction of a sailing ship, located at the National Archaeological Museum at Athens.

Description: Tholos tomb I of Tragana was excavated by Spyros Marinatos and yielded important finds, such as a pithoid amphoras, a sealing gem with depiction of a griffin, a a pyxis with depiction of a sailing ship and bronze vessels deliberately deformed in the dromos. It is one of the largest in Messenia with diameter 7.30 meters.