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The memorial to vaudeville entertainer Al Jolson stands dramatically at the top of a hill inside this notable Culver City cemetery and is inspired by the forms of an ancient Greek tholos, a circular structure capped by a dome — a structure that Williams transforms into something thoroughly Modern.

The nearby Griffin Warrior grave was being excavated at this time, and presumably inspired the digging at the tholos tomb, even though plundering antiquities is a serious offense under Greek law.

Fortunately the huge stones of the tholos tomb prevented even the backhoe operator from making much progress or destroying the site’s archaeological value.

Both the Griffin Warrior and the two tholos tombs belong on a pottery-based time scale to a period known as Late Helladic IIA, which lasted from 1600 to 1500 B.C.E., although the exact dates are disputed.

When they did find the first tholos tomb, they realized to their horror that another excavator had been at work before them, using a backhoe.