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Cities and Sights of North Cyprus - Tombs of the Kings Just to the south and east of Salamis the Tombs of the Kings or Tombs of Salamis can be found. These 8th and 7th century BC burial tombs have provided a wealth of archeological evidence for the burial rights of the Mycean culture, and have confirmed Homers description of heroes burials in the Iliad. Most of the tombs had been looted before excavation, but some still yielded many remains of the royal burials. Finds of pottery, weapons, gold and silver objects and amphorae which were interred with the dead were made during the excavations. Evidence of ritual sacrifice of slaves or servants and the horses used to draw the chariots bearing the deceased's remains was also found. All of the tombs had been used for multiple burials at different periods. There are three main tombs; Tomb 47 which has the gruesome remains of the slain horses left in situ. Tomb 79 from which came some of the best preserved artefacts including chariots along with their horses and harnesses, armour, weapons, ornaments, amphorae, pottery and a wooden throne inlaid with ivory. Most of these items are in the Cyprus Museum. Tomb 50 or St Catherine's Prison, reputed to have been the prison in which Emperor Maxentius kept the Cypriot Princess St Catherine until he had her executed. This tomb was often rebuilt and reused up until Roman times. About 500 yards on from the Royal tombs are the Cellarka or common tombs. This is a complex of burial chambers cut from the rock. There is a small museum on the site with some of the excavated artefacts on display along with a reconstruction of one of the funerary chariots. |