GREECE PELOPONNESE MESSINIA KORYPHASIO

To avoid confusion: ancient Koryphasion was on a headland near Voidokoilia Bay and is described there. Modern Koryphasio lies about 6 km north-east of this bay. Formerly known as Osmanaga (the lagoon north of Navarino Bay is still called Osmanaga Lagoon), the town was renamed.

In 1926, Dr. K. Kourouniotis excavated a tholos tomb south of modern Koryphasio. The tomb, sometimes called "Koryphasio-Osmanaga tomb", was constructed in level ground, and a slight rise in the level of the earth above was obviously a remnant of the tumulus originally heaped over it. The chamber of the tholos had a diameter of ca. 6 m, and presumably about the same height. It was built of small flattish unworked stones, while the dromos, which provided entrance from the northeast, was unwalled.

Using radio-carbon dating, the tholos of Koryphasio was dated to the Middle Helladic III period (ca. 1600 BC) which makes it the earliest Messenian tholos, probably the oldest tholos tomb on mainland Greece, considerably older than those in Mycenae.

Intriguing about this is that the even earlier circular tombs on Crete (mainly "Mesara tombs" of the MMI, beginning 2050 BC, to MMIII period) were still being built at this time. So were the Minoans responsible for the Mycenaean tholoi? There are, however, some major architectural differences between the two types:

1. Mycenaean tholoi were all subterranean, mostly built into hillsides, those of the Mesara were all built above ground and never covered with a mound of earth.
2. All Mycenaean tholoi were roofed with a corbelled stone vault, whereas only the smaller Mesara types seemed to have been completely roofed.
3. The tholoi on Crete were entered from a small doorway in the east, but all mainland types have a dromos and a large impressive doorway.

In spite of all these differences, it seems possible, that in a time of known contacts between Crete and particularly Messinia, traveling craftsman from Crete brought this form of burial to the mainland, where its architectural form was further developed. Interesting to note that there are two Minoan mason's marks - a double-axe and a twig - on one of the later tholoi of Peristeria.

The tholos tomb of Koryphasio is well signposted from the road, from where you have to find your way on foot through citrus fruit plantations. The tomb is somewhat overgrown, but still the chamber walls are clearly visible.