The Athenian Kerameikos

This guide shows the visitor the way through excavations on the edge of the ancient town of Athens which comprise a relatively small area with a few structures inside the City Wall and numerous graves outside the City Wall. The well preserved fortification divides the town from the suburbs. The old Eridanos stream crosses the excavations from east to west and together with the grave mounds and the grave monuments forms a charming landscape. The Kerameikos excavations, surrounded by modern streets on a higher level, is a fortuitous section without a focal point and with a confusing variety of ancient remains. In spite of constant efforts to conserve the monuments and to recreate the original conditions by means of cleaning, planting or restoring grave mounds that have long since disappeared, it is difficult to make sense of the site. Even the most thorough of visitors would require an awareness of the remains that are still underground and of the historical background of the Kerameikos which mirrors the history of Athens. This book aims to present the information indispensable for an understanding of the excavations. It is based on decades of work by many scholars and not least on the participation of the Greek workmen whom we have to thank for many discoveries. (from the foreword of the book)