Apr 29, 2023

The Early Helladic Cemetery at Tsepi | the most ancient cemetery in Attica!

On the west of Marathon Valley in a place named “Tsepi”, lies the Early Helladic Cemetery, the most ancient cemetery in Attica (3,200-2,800 BC)! The excavation took place in the 1970s' by Spyros Marinatos and is still ongoing by the Archaeological Society.

The Early Helladic Cemetery at Tsepi is a huge well-organized cemetery of 60 family graves, that are divided by “precincts” made of river rocks. The walls of the graves are covered with dry stone or slate slabs. Each grave has its own entrance, a small path leading to its interior.

The dead were placed in a particular position and when a new burial was taking place, they were moved aside to a corner of the grave to make space. Few objects were also placed like pottery, idols, stone, and bone tools.

The Early Helladic Cemetery at Tsepi is on Plateon Avenue (on the road to the Archaeological Museum of Marathon), 3oo meters from Marathonos Avenue. It is housed in a modern enclosed structure 8 meters in height and the entrance is free.