Amphipolis tomb mosaic depicts abduction of Persephone, say archaeologists

A splendid mosaic revealed by archaeologists excavating a massive tomb on Kasta Hill in Ancient Amphipolis in northern Greece on Sunday, depicts the abduction of Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, by the god of the underworld, archaeologists said on Thursday.

The 3x4.5 meter mosaic initially showed a horseman with a laurel wreath driving a chariot drawn by two horses and preceded by the god Hermes. According to a Culture Ministry announcement, Hermes is depicted as the conductor of souls to the afterlife.

The mosaic is made up of pebbles in several colors: white, black, grey, blue, red and yellow. A circular part, near the center of the mosaic, was missing, but authorities found enough fragments to reconstruct most of it, revealing the face of Persephone, who, according to myth, is the personification of spring and vegetation.