Κεραμεικός

The cemeteries of Ancient Athens.
The cemeteries of ancient Athens were located outside the gates of the city walls and extended along the main streets that connected Athens with the Piraeus and other Attic demes.
The most important cemetery was located outside the Sacred Gate, in the district of Kerameikos, on the road to Elefsis. It contained the grave plots of many distinguished families, as well as the memorials of foreigner ambassadors.
To its north, outside the Thriaseian or Dipylon gate, along the street leading to the Academy, was the official cemetery of Athens, the “Demosion Sema”, where the dead of war and important politicians were buried at the expense of the state.
During the Peloponnesian war, the concentration of the rural population of Attica in Athens and the Piraeus for reasons of safety, and its long presence in the city demes favored the expansion of the old cemeteries and led to the creation of new ones.