The two female
figures in long-sleeved tunics were found standing guard at the opening
to the mysterious Alexander The Great-era tomb near Amphipolis in the
Macedonia region of northern Greece.
"The
left arm of one and the right arm of the other are raised in a symbolic
gesture to refuse entry to the tomb," a statement from the culture
ministry said Saturday.
Speculation
is mounting that the tomb, which dates from Alexander's lifetime
(356-323BC), may be untouched, with its treasures intact.
Previous evacuations of Macedonian tombs have uncovered amazing troves of gold jewellery and sculptures.
A five-meter tall marble lion, currently standing on a nearby roadside,
originally topped the 500 metre-long funeral mound, which is ringed by a
marble wall.
Two headless stone Sphinx
statues flanked the outer entrance, officials said, who said that
"removing earth from the second entrance wall revealed the excellent
marble caryatids".
Photographs
released by the ministry show the sculptures -- which hold up a lintel
-- uncovered to mid-bust, their curly hair falling onto their shoulders.
Archaeologists
have been digging at the site, which Greek Prime Minister Antonis
Samaras called a "very important find", since mid-August.
The
ministry said the lay-out of "the second entrance with the caryatids
gives us an important clue that it is a monument of particular
importance".
Expectation had
already begun to build given the quality of the sculpted column capitals
and delicately colored floor mosaic already discovered at the site.
Theories
abound about who could be buried in the tumulus tomb, ranging from
Alexander's Bactrian wife Roxane, to his mother Olympias or one of his
generals.
Experts say the chances of Alexander himself being buried there are small, however.
After
his death at 32 in Babylon, the most celebrated conquerer of the
ancient world is believed to have been buried in Alexandria, the
Egyptian city he founded -- although no grave has ever been found there.
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