3,000 year-old Mycenean tomb found on Greek island: ministry

ATHENS - Greek archaelogists have unearthed a 3,000 year-old tomb from the Mycenaean civilisation on an island never before thought to have connections to the people, officials said Wednesday.
The tomb was discovered on the island of Lefkada as part of a road-widening project, and is thought to date from between 1580-1100 BC.
"This is an important discovery concerning the pre-history of Western Greece and the Ionian Islands because it adds a new site to the Mycenaean map," a statement from the Greek ministry of culture said.
No previous evidence of the Mycenaean civilisation had been found on Lefkada "and the discovery of this tomb gives a whole new dimension to our research," the statement added.
The vault contained numerous sepulchres, fragments of terracotta vases, pearls and other archaelogical finds.
The Mycenaeans originated in the ancient Greek town of Peloponnese before spreading throughout the eastern Mediterranean, from Cyprus to Crete to Rhodes and Troy in Asia Minor.
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03/05/2008 17:33 GMT