In 1986, on a plot owned by Emm. Ledaris at 81 A. Papandreou Street, graves of the extensive cemetery of prehistoric Kydonia were located and excavated. In particular, a cluster of six underground tombs was uncovered from which five of them were excavated. Of the five excavated tombs, one belongs to the category of “pit cave” tombs and the other four to the YMIII period chamber tomb type, all robbed in the past. The 5 prehistoric graves were buried again after they were excavated under the foundations of the block of flats and only one – the largest one – was preserved to be visited, placed next to the boiler room area of the block of flats.
The largest chamber tomb located on the plot of Emm. Lentari, has an E-W orientation and an entrance from the west. It has a long sloping corridor-like approach or “dromos”. The entrance to the chamber is closed with a dry-stone wall, while the chamber has an irregular quadrilateral shape. Inside the burial chamber, the bones of three persons were found, disturbed by the violations of the tomb. Of the offerings of the dead, a spouted cup and two askoi were left. Three pits had been carved into the floor of the chamber. Two children were buried in smaller pits, one of them together with a lot of coloured faience beads.
In the third pit, the bones of two burials had been recovered. The bones of a small pet and two beads had been placed with them. In the soil that had filled the entrance to the tomb, incense burners with charcoal scattered about, were located almost on top of the entrance fill, perhaps placed there after some funeral rites. Of the finds that have escaped the intrusions, a beautiful agate seal stone from the YM III A period (1400 – 1300 BC) stands out is worth mentioning, which depicts a deer between two heraldic lions. Chamber tombs were built to be family tombs, with the prospect of being used by many successive generations.
Today the tomb is indicated by an informative sign at the entrance of the apartment building, not visible from the main street.
