s from that town). He died , aged 20, in 394/393 BC, in battle against the Thebans, near Corinth. Like all fallen Athenian soldiers, he was buried alongside his comrades in mass interment – i.e. the grave crowned by his relief did not contain his remains but those of other members of his family.
It is followed by a terrace with graves of a family from Herakleia on the Black Sea shore, far away from Athens. A tall central stele bears the names of two brothers, Agathon and Sosikrates. To its left is a relief commemorating Korallion, Agathon’s wife. She is shown bidding farewell to her husband. On the right is a large monument (a naiskos, or grave shrine) for Agathon. Its decoration is lost, since it was not sculpted, but painted. Both corners of the terrace bore marble models of lekythoi, vases used for funeral offerings of olive oil.
Then follows one of the most famous monuments in the Kerameikos, the grave of Dionysios of Kollytos, a dual citizen of Attica and Samos, crowned by a marble bull. He died, young and unmarried, around 340 BC. The shrine in front bore inscribed poems about the deceased.
The next terrace, an enormous 16 metres long, was that of Lysimachides from Acharnai, who died after 338 BC. The sculptures now placed here probably belong to other monuments, except the large Molossian dog at the near corner, probably originally one of a pair.
This single row of graves is just a small excerpt, a glimpse of the very beautiful, highly atmospheric, potentially deeply informative and often profoundly moving experience that a visit to the Kerameikos is. And that experience itself is only one facet of the rich array of unforgettable impressions of, and insights into, past and present that Athens has to offer. You can enjoy the Keramikos on our Exploring Athens tour in spring.