Tomb of Menecrates, Corfu

Sometime around 600 BC, Menecrates, son of Tlasias and ambassador of Korkyra to Oiantheia (modern-day Galaxidi), was lost at sea. Perhaps there was a battle or pirates. The Korkyreans were determined to honor him with a monument. Praximenes, brother of Menecrates, came from Oiantheia to help with the cenotaph.

In 1843, while demolishing a fortification in Corfu, British soldiers unearthed the cenotaph of Menecrates. The story of Menecrates' disappearance was inscribed on the tomb. A funerary sculpture of a lion was uncovered with the memorial. The lion and the tomb were found in an area known as a necropolis of ancient Korkyra.

The monument and the lion were made of limestone. The monument is a stone cylinder with a conical roof. The conical cover has stones radiating down from a rectangular capstone. The cylinder wall is made of five circular rings in an isodomic construction ( an ancient wall construction technique of finely cut and worked stone). The tomb is almost five feet high and over 15 feet in diameter.

The lion was found near the cenotaph and most likely belongs to it. There is some speculation the lion may belong to the tomb of the warrior Arniadas, who had distinguished himself at a battle by the river Arachthos. The style of the sculpture is Assyrian, and it is in excellent condition. It is kept at the Archeological Museum.