Ancient Macedonian tomb on the Agios Pavlos Hospital hill

The best-preserved Macedonian tomb in the greater Thessaloniki area is located in Finikas, at the road junction behind the Agios Pavlos General Hospital of Thessaloniki. The monument was found in the spring of 1987 during construction work on the ring road. It belongs to a broader set of classical and Hellenistic burial monuments that formed an extensive cemetery. Many cist graves have been located and excavated in the area, but no one matches the grandeur of this monument.

The tomb has an almost square plan with 5 × 5.5 metres. It has a rich relief, and colour decoration on its facade with a Doric pediment placed above the lintel. The monument was also decorated with a painting of Macedonian warriors (traces of it were found during archaeological excavations). Inside, the tomb has a chamber with an embossed decorative zone along the walls and two “chests” to place the funeral offerings that accompanied the couple buried here. The painting suggests that the man was an influential official in the Macedonian army, while the woman next to him must have been his wife. Archaeologists date the monument to the last quarter of the 4th century. It is, therefore, the oldest Macedonian tomb in the area of Thessaloniki.

The tomb had been sacked, but the loss of any valuable artefacts does not diminish its importance for the history of Kalamaria, Thessaloniki, and Macedonia. On the contrary, it is rightly considered the city’s most prominent burial monument.

The specially designed underground chamber next to the tomb hosts a small exhibition of photos and drawings. These allow visitors to comprehend the monument’s function and appearance and the history of the Macedonian tombs in the area.