keramein

Keramein, commonly known as Kerameikos, is an ancient district in Athens, Greece, renowned for its dual role as the city’s potters’ quarter and its principal cemetery during much of the Classical and Hellenistic periods. The name derives from keramos, meaning clay or pottery, reflecting the area’s long association with ceramic production and workshop activity.

Geographically, Kerameikos lies to the northwest of the ancient Acropolis and along part of the route that connected the Dipylon Gate to Eleusis and the Sacred Way. In antiquity the district housed kilns, workshops, and related facilities that supported Athens’s pottery industry, while simultaneously serving as a major necropolis where citizens as well as slaves and non-citizens were buried. The site preserves remnants of city walls, gates, and urban infrastructure, providing insight into the layout and daily life of ancient Athens.

Archaeologically, Kerameikos is important for its funerary collection, including numerous grave markers, stelae, and inscriptions that illuminate social status, family connections, and burial practices. The finds also encompass pottery, architectural fragments, and items related to religious and civic life. Inscriptions and artifacts recovered from the area contribute to understanding Athens’s craft economy, diplomacy, and public rituals.

The Kerameikos Archaeological Museum, located near the site, houses many of the finds from the area and presents them in the context of Athenian pottery production, economy, and funerary culture. Today Kerameikos is a designated archaeological site and museum that attracts researchers and visitors interested in ancient Greek industry, urban life, and burial practices.