The Kasta Tomb (Greek: Τύμβος Καστά), also known as the Amphipolis Tomb (Greek: Τάφος της Αμφίπολης), is the largest ancient tumulus (burial mound) ever discovered in Greece, and by comparison dwarfs that of Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great, in Vergina.
Initial public speculation that, due to its size and cost of construction, it could been built as the Macedonian tomb of Alexander the Great but was not used due to Ptolemy I Soter having seized the funeral cortege, as the available historical records mention Alexandria in Egypt as the final resting place of Alexander's body.[5].
Apart from the sheer size of the monument, some experts say it also bears the handprint of Dinocrates of Rhodes, the chief architect of Alexander the Great.
[3] In 2014, the skeletal remains of five people were unearthed inside a corresponding tomb located in the lower levels of the third chamber.
The ancient Greek word ΠΑΡΕΛΑΒΟΝ (meaning 'received') is written in the inscriptions, and next to it the monogram of Hephaestion.
[10][11][12] In the 1970s, a building of 10 m (33 ft) width was found on top of the centre of the mound, and is thought to have been a grave marker.
The tumulus was also found to have covered earlier cemeteries with at least 70 graves from the nearby "Hill 133" settlement predating Amphipolis.
Parts of the wall were removed during the Roman period and single ashlars were found in the base of the Lion of Amphipolis.
There are two sphinxes on the lintel guarding the main entrance to the tomb,[1] parts of the heads and wings of which were found in the third chamber.
Both stand on a chariot drawn by two white horses and are guided by Hermes who accompanies the spirits of the deceased to Hades.
According to a report by the Greek Ministry of Culture, nails from a wooden coffin and decorative elements made of bone and glass remained from the burial in the otherwise robbed grave.
[20] The board game Amphipolis, designed by Reiner Knizia, was published in 2015 and it is based on the location and findings of the Kasta Tomb.