Kerameikos: In the marble Elysium of art

The Dipylon, the most imposing gateway to the ancient city, is also located here. The name “Kerameikos” originates from the ceramic workshops of potters (“kerameis” in Greek), who chose this area for the deposits of clay soil along the banks of the River Eridanos, which was ideal for the production of vases.

Kerameikos started being used as a burial site from the Early Bronze Age (2700 – 2000 BC) and gradually became the most important necropolis of ancient Athens. Its operation continued uninterrupted until the 6th century AD, thus offering modern visitors the unique opportunity to experience 15 centuries of Athenians and settlers sleeping under their feet.

Through monumental inscribed funerary stelae and impressive statues, the ancient necropolis will inevitably lead you to its elegant museum. This is where Kostis Palamas, facing the funerary monument of the young horseman Dexileos, called Kerameikos “the marble Elysium of art” in his poem entitled Dexileos.