Event: Greece - Athens

Kerameikos Archaeological Site

When:	Daily
Where:	Kerameikos Archaeological Site
Costs:	€12; concessions €6; under 18s free
Opening Hours:	8am-6pm

The Kerameikos was the potters' quarter of classical Athens and also the official cemetery of the city. Today it is a tranquil and fascinating archaeological site, away from the bustle of the city centre.

In the 5th century BC, Themistoles, an Athenian general, built a city wall which divided the Kerameikos into an inner and outer area. Two gates marked important routes: the Dipylon Gate at the start of the Panathenaic Way to the Acropolis, and the Sacred Gate on the Sacred Way to Eleusis.

Excavations began in the late-19th century and it is now possible to see parts of the city walls, the ancient gates, various tombstones and other burial monuments. Small finds from the excavations are housed in the Museum of Kerameikos on the same site, as well as at the National Museum of Athens.