The occupant of Tomb 194 was evidently a young man, below the age
of thirty, and was buried around the middle of the sixth centurybc.In
addition to the kind of weaponry already described above for Tomb 9,
this man had a large trapezoidal gold sheet with stamped decoration on
his chest, together with a smaller gold sheet, both having originally been
attached, in all probability, to a leather cuirass. Similar sheets, with
analogous functions, are known from two other burials from the western
cemetery of Archondiko (Tombs 131 and 239), and have been docu-
mented at Sindos. Such equipment is also known from at least onefifth-
century burial at Duvanli in central Thrace.^36 The main chest ornament
given to the man in Tomb 194 at Archondiko was decorated with vegetal
and geometric patterns and heraldic lions, similar to examples from
sheet-gold work in archaic burials at Vergina, Aiani and Trebenishte,
Illyria. In addition, the same young man had a stamped gold sheet in the
shape of a human hand, placed on his left hand. This is another feature
that has analogies in the archaic burials at Trebenishte.^37 One of the best-
preserved and elaborate female interments from Archondiko (Tomb 262,
dated 510– 500 bc) contained a necklace of gold, glass and amber beads; a
gold diadem; a gold face mask; a gold bracelet, and three pairs of gold
and silver pins. Her dress and shoes were covered with gold sheets. She
was provided with several iron knives, a generous set of bronze vessels (a
lekanis,anoinochoe, two lebetes, ten phialae), two fine decorated
imported clay cups, six femalefigurines, a bronze miniature vessel, and
a miniature iron cart.^38
Comparisons from inland Thrace could be chosen from among the
justly renownedfifth-centurybctombs at Duvanli, Brezovo, or Dul-
boki.^39 These are matched by recently discovered intact graves, such as
the enlarged sarcophagus that contained the skeleton of a mature man,
cut into the ground below Tumulus I at Chernozem. Like many of his
Macedonian peers, and the male incumbents from a galaxy of mounds at
Duvanli, Brezovo, and Dulboki, the man from Chernozem Tumulus
I was armed and provided with a high-quality drinking set. He had
body armour (a bronze breastplate, neck guard of iron plates, and a
leather belt or strap for his quiver); two groups of bronze arrow heads
(many of whose wooden shafts were partially preserved), two iron spear
heads and one butt, and a large sheet-gold chest ornament, decorated
(^36) Despini et al. 1995, nn.89, 117, 217; Chrysostomou and Chrysostomou 2007, 122 and
n.32; Archibald 1998, 199 and nn.19–22 with further refs.
(^37) Chrysostomou and Chrysostomou 2007, 125 and nn. 30, 35, 36, with further refs.
(^38) Chrysostomou and Chrysostomou,` ̄ÌY, 2003, 17, 505–16.
(^39) Archibald 1998, 135–45, 151–76.
Continuity and commemoration 315