Glossary Tombs and burial
Stomion
Also called: stomia
The low doorway between the dromos and the burial chamber of a rock-cut tomb, closed with a slab or stones after each burial.
Stomion is Greek for 'mouth'. In Cypriot chamber tombs it is the narrow entrance at the inner end of the dromos, opening onto the rounded or rectangular chamber. It was sealed with a limestone slab or a packing of stones, and the blocking was taken down whenever the tomb was reopened. Excavators record the blocking carefully: an intact seal shows that the last burial has not been disturbed since the tomb was closed. Small bowls and juglets were often left just inside the doorway, within reach of the stomion. Bronze Age chamber tombs describes the arrangement at Vounous, Lapithos and Enkomi.
Full entry: Bronze Age Chamber Tombs
Related terms
- Dromos
The passage, often sloping or stepped, cut into the ground or rock to reach the doorway of a chamber tomb.
- Collective burial
The use of one tomb for many burials made over years or generations, typically by a family or kin group.
- Grave goods
Objects placed with the dead at burial, such as pots, tools, weapons, jewellery and food.