The Mycenaean cemetery at Mazarakata, located approximately 500 meters southeast of the settlement, was unearthed in the time of De Bosset’s tenure as Resident of Kefalonia (1810-1814) during a new road construction.
De Bosset, who was of Swiss descent, led the excavations and moved some vases discovered there to the Neuchâtel Museum in Switzerland, where they remain today. Excavations were resumed about a century later by Kefalonian archaeologist Panayotis Kavvadias, and again in 1951 by Prof. Marinatos.
A total of 17 chamber tombs and a large number of Mycenaean vases and tiny artifacts were discovered, some of which you can admire at the Argostoli Archaeological Museum and another collection at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.
It was, and still is, the largest Mycenaean cemetery of the island and one of the most important archeological sites in the Ionian region.
The tombs are subterranean, cut into natural rock (limestone), and consist of a hallway, an entrance, and a chamber. The chambers’ dimensions differ. Some are smaller (1.40 m x 1.90 m) consisting of a few burials, while others are bigger (5.50 m × 4.80 m) and have many burials.
The cemetery is easy to find if you follow the road signs in the route that connects Argostoli with Keramies and Pessada. Wheelchair access is also possible.
