Kerameikos Cemetery – An Underrated Ancient Site in Athens
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Unlike the Acropolis of Athens, the Ancient Agora of Athens, and the Acropolis Museum – all three of which seem to get all the love and attention from visitors – Kerameikos Cemetery is one of the Greek capital’s most underrated historic sites.
The Kerameikos Archaeological Site is a wondrous open-air museum with several layers of history narrated by the many magnificent ancient ruins scattered across this tranquil site.
Apart from the remains of Kerameikos Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in Ancient Greece, the archaeological site of Kerameikos also features some of the best-preserved fragments of the ancient city’s mighty defensive walls and two of its main gates.
Kerameikos was also the neighborhood where potters lived and worked, creating some of the marvelous Attic vases we now admire at archaeological museums in Attica and the rest of Greece.
Hopefully, this intro convinced you to keep reading to find out why Kerameikos Ancient Cemetery should be added to your Athens itinerary.

Where Is The Ancient Cemetery of Kerameikos?
Kerameikos Ancient Cemetery is halfway between the Thisseio and Kerameikos metro stations in the heart of Athens. The entrance to the archaeological site of Kerameikos is on Ermou Street.
Timeline of Kerameikos Cemetery
Before going into more detail, we’d like to clarify that the neighborhood of Kerameikos in Ancient Athens covered a much larger area than the confines of the current archaeological site of Kerameikos.
Apart from the ancient cemetery, the entire district of Kerameikos also included parts of the city of Athens, its fortifications, and public buildings.
Archaeological finds indicate that the area of Kerameikos Ancient Cemetery had been used as a burial place since the Early Bronze Age (2700 – 2000 BC).
In the following centuries, the area became popular with potters who settled there to make the most of the clay deposits of the on-site Eridanos River. The soil there favored the establishment of pottery workshops, hence the name Kerameikos, which translates to Potters’ Quarter.
A blessing but also a curse, the Eridanos River caused frequent floods that left the parts of the Kerameikos district close to the overflowing river unfit to live in.
Therefore, between 1100 and 1000 BC, these parts of the district of Ancient Kerameikos started being used almost exclusively for burials.

After the Persian Wars, in 478 BC, Athens was hastily fortified for protection against a potential Spartan attack.
The great Athenian general and politician Themistocles ordered the erection of a wall, which divided the wider area of Kerameikos into two districts.
Eso (or Inner) Kerameikos was where the Ancient Agora and the rest of the city were, while Exo (or Outer) Kerameikos was where the ancient necropolis was located.
Exo Kerameikos continued to be a cemetery until the 6th century AD. When archaeological excavations started in the 19th century, the site was filled up to the level of Ermou Street. Today, you can walk on the level of the Classical Period (4th and 5th centuries BC).

Why Is Kerameikos Cemetery Important?
Alongside the Acropolis of Athens, the archaeological site of Kerameikos is where most sculptures of the Archaic Period (700 – 480 BC) were found. These sculptures, or to be more precise, their fragments, were found built in the Themistoclean Fortification Wall.
The fact that Ancient Athenians used any material at hand – including statues and other works of art – proves how hastily they constructed the Wall for fear of a Spartan attack after the Persian Wars.
Moreover, part of Kerameikos Cemetery was Demosion Sema, the most important cemetery in Ancient Athens, where prominent Athenians and war heroes were buried.
The 5th-century-BC Demosion Sema extends outside the Kerameikos archaeological site, in an unexcavated area beyond Pireos Street. However, the excavated part that lies within the ancient site of Kerameikos provides valuable information about burials in Ancient Athens.
Last but not least, the district of Ancient Kerameikos was where the majority of the renowned Attic vases were produced by potters and vase painters who settled there to benefit from the excellent soil conditions.

Is The Archaeological Site of Kerameikos Worth Visiting?
Athens was once a fortified city, but not much of its defensive walls remain standing. The archaeological site of Kerameikos is your best shot at admiring what’s left of the ancient city’s fortifications.
Here, you’ll see the best-preserved part of the city walls of Ancient Athens. Moreover, two of the ancient city’s thirteen gates are now part of the Kerameikos archaeological site: Dipylon Gate and Sacred Gate.
Walking around the ancient site of Kerameikos Cemetery will also allow you to stroll along ancient roads and catch fleeting glimpses of one of Athens’ ancient rivers, now condemned to oblivion as the modern city has long covered all its traces.
All in all, Kerameikos is one of our favorite ancient sites in Athens. Although people often skip Kerameikos, we think it’s definitely worth visiting as it provides valuable insights into Classical Athens.
FAQs About Visiting The Kerameikos Archaeological Site
How long does it take to visit Kerameikos Ancient Cemetery?
To fully enjoy the archaeological site of Kerameikos and visit the on-site museum, you’ll need at least two hours. That doesn’t include the time you’ll spend making new friends with the ruins’ fluffy permanent residents.

Is the Kerameikos Archaeological Site accessible?
Yes, there are alternative routes with ramps for wheelchair users. Also, there aren’t any significant inclines if you have mobility issues.

Where is the entrance to the Archaeological Site of Kerameikos?
Pireos Street, Ermou Street, and Asomaton Street border the archaeological site of Kerameikos. The entrance is on Ermou Street.

Is there a metro station near the Kerameikos Archaeological Site?
The closest metro station is Thisseio if you use Line 1 or Kerameikos if you use Line 3.
Are there any toilets or other facilities at the Kerameikos Archaeological Site?
There are toilets at the back of the building that houses the Kerameikos Museum. Next to the ticket office, there’s a vending machine where you can buy bottled water.

Are there any restaurants near Kerameikos Cemetery?
With plenty of options for a lovely lunch, the neighborhoods of Psirri and Metaxourgeio are within walking distance of the Kerameikos archaeological site. For traditional Greek dishes with a twist, Seychelles is one of our favorite restaurants in Metaxourgeio.
Is Kerameikos Ancient Cemetery included in the Athens Combo Ticket?
Yes, Kerameikos Ancient Cemetery is included in the Acropolis Combo Ticket, along with six more archaeological sites in Athens. For more details about the archaeological sites included, read our Acropolis Combined Ticket guide.
What is the best time to visit the Archaeological Site of Kerameikos?
Kerameikos Ancient Cemetery is a year-round archaeological site to visit. Thanks to its vast size, it hardly gets packed, even during peak season. However, if you plan to visit Kerameikos in the summer, avoid noon, as the excessive heat can become unbearable.

What To See at Kerameikos Cemetery – Walking Route
We love archaeological sites in Greece but, sadly, not all of them are easy to navigate. First of all, there isn’t always a clear route to follow. Moreover, not all areas have informative signs and, when they do, sometimes these signs use difficult terminology.
Also, on-site maps often include monuments or points of interest that are no longer visible – because they’re either destroyed or covered by the modern city.
This section is meant to help you navigate any ancient site in Greece by providing a tested-by-us walking route of the most important monuments that you can actually see – rather than just imagine.
Furthermore, we replace the original scientific terms (here in brackets) with simple translations in English when necessary and provide context in cases where informative signs are scarce or non-existent.
The current archaeological site comprises ruins of Exo Kerameikos, the city’s fortifications, and some public buildings that were part of Eso Kerameikos.
Kerameikos Archaeological Site Map
Fortification Walls
Once you buy your tickets from the ticket office, walk down the path on your right side to make your first stop in front of the fortification walls of Ancient Athens.
After Athens defeated the Persians in 480-479 BC, the danger of a Spartan attack was imminent. This is why Themistocles, who was in charge at the time, ordered the construction of a fortification wall with 13 gates.

The Athens Fortification Wall was destroyed several times throughout the centuries, including by the usual suspects, the Roman Sylla in 89 AD and the Herulians in 267 AD. Yet, an excellently preserved part of the Themistoclean Wall is inside the Kerameikos archaeological site.
In front of the wall, you can see a second wall that was added during the Macedonian Wars in the 4th century BC. The area between the two walls formed a ring road. In front of the second supportive wall, there was a moat.
You can see more remains of the Athens Wall – albeit not as impressive – when you visit the archaeological site of the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Sacred Way
After you’re done admiring the Wall, take a moment to stroll along the Sacred Way, which runs on the same level as Athens in the Classical Period (4th and 5th centuries BC).
Also called the Eleusinian Way, as it led to the ancient city of Eleusis, the Sacred Way was one of the most important roads in Ancient Athens.
The procession of the Eleusinian Mysteries, one of the grandest ancient festivals that celebrated Demeter and Persephone, was held along the Sacred Way every year.
If you stand outside the archaeological site on what is now Pireos Street, you can see how the modern Iera Odos (Greek for Sacred Way) is constructed on the same track as the ancient one.

Eridanos River
Along the Sacred Way, you can see the only remaining non-covered part of the Eridanos River, one of the three ancient rivers that flowed through Ancient Athens. That said, if you plan to visit the archaeological site of Kerameikos in the summer, Eridanos will probably be drained.
The Eridanos River was covered during Emperor Hadrian’s reign. At Monastiraki Metro Station, you can see the vaulted structure the Romans built to cover the river.

Small Sanctuary By The Sacred Gate
Before the second supportive fortification wall was built in the 4th century BC, a 5th-century-BC small altar was in the place of a wall tower.
Scientists haven’t confirmed which ancient god the altar was dedicated to. What they do know is that the altar changed locations over the centuries due to the wall modifications. However, it was never far from the Sacred Way, verifying its importance for Ancient Athens.

Houses Within The City Walls
Next, you’ll see the ruins of three Houses within the City Walls. These have been named Buildings Z, X, and Y.
These buildings that date back to the 5th century BC must have been residences. After the 1st century AD, they were turned into pottery and bronze casting workshops.

Sacred Gate
The Sacred Gate was one of the most important gates to the ancient city of Athens. It got its name from the Sacred Way. What’s striking about it is that it had two openings: one for people and a shorter one for the waters of the Eridanos River.
Pompeion & Its Entrance (Propylon)
Situated between the Sacred Gate and Dipylon Gate, the massive Pompeion with its peristyle court and monumental entrance hall (Propylon) dates back to 400 BC.
Pompeion had a significant role. It was there that preparations for the Great Panathenaea Festival, one of the most important festivals in Ancient Athens, were carried out. Moreover, offerings and materials for the Panathenaic Festival were kept in Pompeion.

The Panathenaea Procession started from Pompeion. During the procession, Goddess Athena’s sacred veil was carried from Pompeion to the Parthenon on a model ship that was constructed in the large court of Pompeion.
You can see the ramp on the entrance hall (Propylon) from where the processional ship – probably placed on wheels – would make its way to the Ancient Agora of Athens and the Acropolis.
If you plan to visit the Acropolis Museum, you can learn more about the Great Panathenaea. The grand Panathenaic Procession was depicted on the Parthenon’s frieze, which is now displayed at the Acropolis Museum.

Fountain House
Before you reach Dipylon Gate, you can see the remains of an elaborate Fountain House. Travelers would rest by the fountain upon their arrival to Ancient Athens.

Dipylon
Dipylon was the main gate to Ancient Athens and the biggest gate of the ancient world. As its name suggests (Dipylon means Two Gates in Ancient Greek), this monumental gate had two openings.
Alongside the Sacred Gate, the Dipylon Gate is one of the two city gates of the Themistoclean Wall, which forms part of the archaeological site of Kerameikos.

Dipylon Gate was where people would gather before the Great Panathenaea procession. The latter continued along the Panathenaic Way, crossing the Ancient Agora of Athens and ending at the Acropolis.
You can walk along the Panathenaic Way when you visit the Ancient Agora of Athens.

The Road To Plato’s Academy
The road that connected the Dipylon Gate of the Themistoclean Wall to Plato’s Academy, one mile away from Ancient Athens, was yet another important ancient road of the city.
Called Dromos or Kerameikos in the past, the road was larger than you see it today. It was lined with tombs of prominent Athenians, such as Pericles and Cleisthenes. The area around this road was Demosion Sema, the public cemetery of eminent Athenians we mentioned earlier.
In front of Dipylon Gate was a big square where the Athenians honored their dead. This was where the great Greek politician Pericles delivered his famous Funeral Oration to honor the dead of the Peloponnesian War.

Only the west part of this road is completely excavated. As you walk along the road, you’ll see ruins of a Classical-era Bath, the Funerary Monument to Lacedaemonians (Spartans), and another funerary monument at the end of the road, near Pireos Street.
Along the way, you’ll notice stones that mark the western boundary of the road.

Tritopatreion Sanctuary
Head back to Sacred Way and stop at the point where it meets the Street of Tombs. There, you’ll see a 5th-century-BC open-air sanctuary dedicated to the Tritopatores, the deities of marriage, childbirth, and household. Inscribed stones set the boundaries of the sanctuary.

Street of Tombs
Starting from Tritopatreion Sanctuary, the Street of Tombs features some of the most distinguished funerary monuments of the Classical Period (4th and 5th centuries BC). Rich families would bury their loved ones along that street, constructing imposing marble monuments in their memory.
At the bottom of the hills on both sides of the street are probably earlier monument graves, which were filled in throughout the years.

Small Funerary Monuments
Before entering the Kerameikos Museum, you’ll see a small area where dozens of small cylindrical marble monuments are set.
These date back to the Hellenistic Period and Roman Times when Demetrius Phalereus, the governor of Ancient Athens at the time, imposed a law that prohibited the construction of luxurious monuments, like the ones you saw along the Street of Tombs.
As a result, after the 4th century BC, funerary monuments became smaller and plainer, with only scarce information about the dead inscribed on them.

Kerameikos Museum
Before entering the small museum, admire the funerary monuments displayed in the courtyard and read their interesting stories. Notice that, in most of these monuments, the dead are seated and say goodbye with a handshake to the living, who are standing.

The Archaeological Museum of Kerameikos is small and doesn’t take long to explore. It houses plenty of important burial artifacts that date from Prehistoric Times to the Classical Period.
Here, you will also see sculptures from the Archaic Period that were used in the construction of the Themistoclean Wall.
Two striking examples you can admire at the Museum are a Kouros statue and a Lion sculpture. Both were placed beneath the Sacred Way to reinforce the road during the erection of the Sacred Gate.

Kerameikos Archaeological Site Opening Hours
During the winter period:
November 1st to March 31st: 8 AM to 3 PM
During the summer period:
April 1st to August 31st: 8 AM to 8 PM
September 1st to September 15th: 8 AM to 7.30 PM
September 16th to September 30th: 8 AM to 7 PM
October 1st to October 15th: 8 AM to 6.30 PM
October 16th to October 31st: 8 AM to 6 PM
On January 1st, March 25th, May 1st, Greek Easter Sunday, December 25th, and December 26th, the Archaeological Site of Kerameikos is closed.

Kerameikos Archaeological Site Entrance Fees
The full ticket price is 8 EUR. From November 1st to March 31st, the ticket costs 4 EUR instead. The archaeological site of Kerameikos is one of the seven archaeological sites included in the Acropolis Combined Ticket.
Entrance is free on the following days: March 6th, April 18th, May 18th, the last weekend of September, October 28th, and the first Sunday of each month from November to March.
How To Get To The Archaeological Site of Kerameikos
Situated in the center of Athens, the Kerameikos archaeological site is easily accessible on foot. If you’re using public transport, Kerameikos Metro Station (Line 3) and Thisseio Metro Station (Line 1) are within short walking distance from the archaeological site’s entrance.

Where To Stay in Athens Near Kerameikos Cemetery
The best area to stay if you want to explore Kerameikos Ancient Cemetery and other important archaeological sites in Athens is the neighborhood of Psirri, near Monastiraki Square.
A few steps from Monastiraki Metro Station, the elegant 4-star Lotus Inn Hotel is within walking distance from several top Athens attractions and ensures a memorable stay in its comfy rooms.

Things To Do Near Kerameikos Cemetery
For ancient history buffs, some of the best archaeological sites in Athens are within walking distance of Kerameikos Ancient Cemetery. You can visit Hadrian’s Library or explore the Roman Agora of Athens.
Both are very compact, which means that they’ll take you less time than visiting the Acropolis, which is also nearby.
When visiting the Kerameikos archaeological site, the adjacent Amaxostasio and the nearby Technopolis of Gazi are two event spaces that often host food markets or other themed events.

Often overlooked by travelers, Kerameikos Cemetery is one of the most impressive and historically significant ancient sites in Athens. We hope this guide convinced you to add the archaeological site of Kerameikos to your Athens itinerary.
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