ATHENS, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A 68-year-old man has been arrested for illegal excavations in the archaeological site of Amphipolis in northern Greece, Greek police announced on Tuesday.

The individual was arrested on Sunday in the site with a metal detector and digging tools. In his possession in his car, as well as in his two homes in the cities of Serres and Thessaloniki, valuable ancient objects were found, according to a police press statement.

Archaeologists of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Serres identified 10 bronze coins going back to the 4th century BC until the early 19th century, two other bronze items and 15 lead objects.

They have been all confiscated along with two metal detectors and digging tools, while the suspect was charged with violation of the law on the protection of antiquities and cultural heritage.

The first remains of the ancient city of Amphipolis where Alexander the Great, a king of an ancient Greek kingdom, prepared for his campaigns to the East, were found in the 19th century.

In 2014, Greek archaeologists discovered remains of five persons and impressive marble sculptures, mosaics and drawings dating back to the 4th century BC inside a big tomb at a hill in Amphipolis.

Greek experts said that the monument was most likely built for a high-ranking officer close to Alexander the Great. The identity of the tomb's occupants remains a mystery, but archaeologists found clues showing that the tomb had been looted several centuries ago. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)