More precisely, the mosaic shows Persephone being dragged to the underworld by Hades, the god king of the underworld

Oct 17, 2014 06:51 GMT  ·  By

Earlier this month, archaeologists excavating an ancient tomb in Amphipolis, a municipality in the Greece's Serres regional unit, announced the discovery of a gorgeous floor mosaic dating back to the 4th century BC.

At the time this announcement was made, just part of the stunning artwork was visible. Having spent the past few days removing the dirt covering this floor mosaic, researchers claim to have figure out what mythological scene the artwork depicts.

Long story short, they say that the 4th century BC mosaic, a photo of which is available next to this article, shows Persephone, the Greek queen of the underworld, being abducted by Hades, the god king of the underworld.

The story of Persephone and Hades

As explained by historians, the ancient Greeks used the story of Persephone and Hades to explain the changing of seasons. Thus, Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the latter being the goddess of harvest, grains and fertility.

When Hades abducted Persephone and brought her with him to the underworld, where he made her his queen, Demeter was left devastated. As a result, all living things began to wither and die.

Eventually, Hades was persuaded by Zeus to allow Persephone to live with her mother for several months each year. Persephone's splitting her time between Demeter and the god of the underworld was what birthed the seasons of the year, the ancient Greeks said.

A one-of-a-kind floor mosaic

The archaeologists now excavating this tomb in Greece detail that the 4th century BC floor mosaic discovered in the burial site's second chamber comprises white, grey, black, red, blue and yellow pebbles.

The artwork shows Hades and Persephone making their way to the underworld in a chariot pulled by two horses. They are accompanied by Hermes, conductor of souls and messenger of the gods, who is depicted running alongside the horses.

The mosaic is surrounded by a frame showing various geometrical patterns. Unfortunately, the center of the artwork appears to have been badly damaged quite a while ago. Still, researchers believe that they might be able to put it back together.

One very important question is still unanswered

Despite having made significant progress excavating this site, archaeologists are still clueless about who might have been buried here. The only thing they can say for sure is that, judging by the complexity of the tomb, it must have been an important person, Live Science informs.

Seeing how the tomb dates back to the time of ancient ruler Alexander the Great, historians believe that either his mother or one of this generals was laid to rest in this location. Hopefully, it will not be long until archaeologists solve this mystery.