A farmer near the northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki stumbled across a major archaeological treasure in late July: while working in his field in Nea Apollonia, he accidentally dug up a golden wreath. A few days later, he handed the Greek Archaeological Service the rare specimen. Following scientific examination, it was announced that the golden wreath - consisting of thirty 30 ivy leaves poised on an 18.5-centimetre diameter and weighing more than 500 grams - dates back to around 350 B.C. at the time of the Macedonian king Alexander the Great. It is only the third of its kind to have been recovered.

The wreath's archaeological and artistic value are immeasurable. What's more, archaeologists tend to associate such objects with the decoration of graves and tombs. And if the location, where the wreath was found, is the original site of a tomb, the Service believes that further findings can be expected. This viewpoint was reinforced the morning after the handing of the wreath, when archaeologists visited the field: in the same area, a marble bust of a woman - probably Nike of Samothrace (the Winged Victory) - was unearthed, though this find dates back to the subsequent Hellenistic period.

The archaeologists' view
Referring to the discovery, Professor of Archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Ms Chryssoula Satsoglou-Paliadeli, said: "We dont know this area very well, but if the wreath has not been moved from its original position, then somewhere nearby we should find an ancient graveyard or a settlement dating back to the 4th century B.C."

The director of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki - which houses one of the other two similar wreaths found to date - Ms Chryssanthi Koukouli, shares the optimism: "If the location is correct, then there must be the tomb of a wealthy and influential Macedonian citizen of the antiquity. These wreaths were used during religious ceremonies and celebrations and were later put in graves as a donation to the dead."

To ancient Greeks, ivy leaves, which blossom in the springtime and die during the winter, were a symbol of god Dionysos (or Dionysus). Dionysos - who, according to ancient Greek mythology, was cut to pieces by the Titans, upon Heras orders, and was eventually saved by Athena, who offered his heart to Zeus, who, in his turn, swallowed it thus securing Dionysos' return to life - was the patron of wine, revelry and theatre.

The Ministry of Culture, responsible for the use, exhibition and preservation of archaeological findings and sites, issued a statement noting that the wreath, dating to the second half of the 4th century B.C, is an extremely well-preserved example of the period's goldsmiths. Ministry officials have also pledged to further investigate the site, as many archaeologists believe that it is on the route Alexander the Great used when travelling eastward.