Mystery of Alexander the Great-era tomb holds Greeks in thrall

A girl takes a picture of a marble lion statue located near the site of an archaelogical excavation, at the town of Amphipolis, in northern Greece November 22, 2014. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek archaeologist Katerina Peristeri dug in obscurity for years before unearthing a marble tomb from the time of Alexander the Great -- a find that has brought her instant fame.

In a land with one of the world's richest cultural heritages, archaeologists rarely receive much public notice. Yet Peristeri has become the face of the Amphipolis crypt, a 2,300-year-old sepulchre beneath the sandy hills of northern Greece. She has received three Greek awards in the past month alone.