Archaeologists have unearthed the tomb of an elite young woman in the ancient Greek city of Chersonesos on the Crimean peninsula, a discovery that offers rare insight into wealth and burial customs during the Roman era.
The woman, identified as Annion through a Greek funerary inscription, was eighteen when she died nearly two thousand years ago. The inscription identifies her as the daughter of Aischines, son of Heroides, and records her age at death. Her tomb, excavated in the Southern Suburb of Chersonesos, formed part of a larger monumental burial complex associated with prominent citizens of the ancient city.
Viktor V. Vakhoneev, a senior researcher at the Center for Rescue Archaeology at the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was involved in the archaeological work. The burial complex includes Annion’s tomb, the tombs of other individuals, a columbarium, and additional monumental structures dating to the Roman period.
Carved inscription and rare bowl confirm woman’s identity
According to researchers, the identification of Annion is supported by the fact that the name on the commemorative stone matches the name on a red-glazed bowl found among her belongings.
Annion’s grave contained gold jewelry, rings, pendants, and decorative pieces that had once been sewn onto clothing. Archaeologists also found glass perfume containers in the shape of a date and a bunch of grapes, along with bone boxes that held cosmetic rouge, traces of the rouge itself, hairpins, two spindles, and numerous beads.
The remains found in the tomb included those of a young woman and a child. Annion’s cause of death is unknown, and the available evidence does not establish how she died.
Elite woman’s tomb reveals wider Chersonesos family complex
Annion’s tomb formed part of a larger monumental burial complex near the old city gates, Vakhoneev said. The complex includes a stone tomb, a crypt with burial niches, several funerary monuments, and a columbarium. Some of the memorial stones bear the name “Ariston,” indicating that the site was used for the burials and commemoration of multiple individuals.
Vakhoneev cautioned against assuming that Annion and a man named Ariston were buried together. Although Ariston’s name appears on several stones at the Chersonesos complex, the remains found in Annion’s tomb in the ancient Greek city were those of a woman and a child rather than an adult man.
Researchers date the burial complex to the second century AD. It remained in use through the middle of the second century.
Team’s experience restoring Syria’s Triumphal Arch
Rising water and erosion threatened the preservation of the monuments in their original locations, prompting archaeologists to relocate six structures to the Museum of Antiquity and Byzantium in New Chersonesos. They included the tombs associated with Annion and Ariston, a tholos, a columbarium, and a memorial crypt. Annion’s tomb is now on display at the museum.
The project scanned more than 4,600 stone blocks and restored more than eight hundred. According to Vakhoneev, the main conservation work is largely complete. The team also previously worked on the restoration of the Triumphal Arch of Palmyra in Syria, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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