A tomb of the Minoan Civilization was found by chance in an olive grove on the island of Crete.
The discovery came when a local farmer’s car got bogged down in the mud and attempts to free the vehicle revealed a gravestone carved beneath the surface.
The tomb is divided into three separate chambers and was blocked off by a clay barrier in the main lid.
It contains two skeletons of adult men, several carvings, and 24 well-preserved pots that archaeologists estimate date from 1500 to 1400 BC.
Experts do not know the identity of the bones, but they believe they were from wealthy young men, because the ceramics found are of high quality, which was indicative of the wealth of the Minoan people.
Crete became a very important center during the Bronze Age.
Around 1600 BC, the Minoans built massive cities and developed unique arts and architectural style.
They became a maritime people, taking their culture to mainland Greece.
Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, ended up destroying several of its palaces.
Between 1600 and 1500 BC, a cataclysmic eruption on the island of Santorini, formerly known as Thera, buried much of the Minoan construction. In addition, pyroclastic flows, composed of hot gas, ash and rocks, which can travel at speeds of up to 160 km/h (100 mph), originated from the volcanic eruption, fell into the sea, causing tsunamis that hit the island of Crete.
About two centuries later, the Minoans ceased to exist.
