The Publication of the Archaeological Society Of Athens' excavations in the Ancient Cemeteries of Demetrias and Pharsalos in Thessaly, Greece

This publication will offer a systematic discussion of the evidence, which includes the important in artistic terms - corpus of Hellenistic painted stelai and elaborate groups of gold jewelry and silverware. It will also provide an analysis of the funerary practices of Demetrias against its historical and cultural background, seeking to clarify the interaction of the local populations with the large number of foreigners resident in the city. The comparative analysis of the material in relation to that of Macedonia and Alexandria, will help reassess Demetrias' role in the development of Hellenistic culture in Greece. My publication, by the Archaeological Society of Athens, will be the first comprehensive study of this material, as most of it remains unpublished. It will require about a year to prepare and will offer a detailed analysis of the grave typology and organisation of the cemeteries, grave offerings, tomb markers, funerary customs and beliefs, which will be examined in comparison with those of other contemporary Thessalian necropolis.