GREECE PELOPONNESE ARGOLIS ASINE BARBOUNA

Northwest of the road from Tolo to Drepanon, next to the Xeni-camping and opposite the acropolis of Asine, is the "Barbouna" hill (above left a view from Asini beach). Here, remains of a Mycenaean necropolis with rich chamber-tombs were found during the Swedish excavations before World War II and again after 1970. - There are no signs leading to this site which remains quite unknown with never any tourists climbing the hill.

The site is not (as of 2009) organized and you are free to find your own way around the deserted dozen or so major chamber tombs cut into the not very hard rock. I guess that there are at least 20-30 tombs in total. Many of them are fairly well preserved, some with still intact ceilings. They follow the usual layout of dromos with inclined walls, stomion and thalamos. This tripartite plan of the tombs is the architectural expression of the tripartite structure of mortuary rituals associated with the transition from life to death. - For more information about Mycenaean burials see here.