GREECE PELOPONNESE MESSINIA KAMBOS

Near Kambos, 22 km Southeast of Kalamata, is a Mycenaean tholos tomb. When Christos Tsountas excavated it in 1891 he found it looted, probably already in ancient times. Smaller artefacts were discovered, especially Minoan lead figurines, perhaps produced by Cretan refugees seeking their fortunes in safer areas after the catastrophic Theran eruption. After the dramatic spurt of interest in the Late Bronze Age initiated towards the end of the 18th century by excavations of Schliemann, Dörpfeld, Tsountas, and others in the Argolid, the discovery of the Kambos tholos was the first hint that Southwest Peloponnese might become important to prehistorians.

The roof of the Late Helladic II tholos has fallen in, its diameter is 8.5 metres. Richard Hope Simpson, who declared this tholos tomb as "one of the finest of those outside the Argolid", estimated its original height to have been 9 metres.

Above the tholos is one of the Koumoundouros "castles" (photo below right), once a leading family of the northwestern Mani. In front of it is a bust of Alexandros Koumoundouros, who was Prime Minister of Greece between 1865 and 1882 on no less than ten occasions, demonstrating the volatility of Greek politics.