The first findings from the Mycenaean Cemetery of Mazarakata accidentally came to light in 1813, during construction works for the opening of a road. These works started with the initiative of the Swiss colonel of the English army who was the governor of the islands of Kefalonia and Ithaca from March 1810, Charles-Philippe de Bosset. The workers went to this specific area to extract lime soil that they would use for paving the road. The inhabitants knew since the Mycenaean times that the area disposed of soft rock and about three millennia earlier, they had built chamber tombs. When the Mycenaean Cemetery was discovered, the four tombs were initially breached. The findings of the then-unknown civilization that came from the "catacombs" were collected and transferred into the ownership of the governor of the island de Bosset. At a later stage, de Bosset donated them to a museum in his home country –specifically to the Neuchatel Museum – where they were later identified. The findings remain there till today.In 1899, the Mycenaean Cemetery of Mazarakata was discovered by P. Kavvadias who continued the excavations in the period 1908-1909.A total of 16 chamber tombs were found by de Bosset and Kavvadias. The 17th tomb came to light much later, in 1951, as it was under a regional road and became visible after the road had collapsed.It was investigated by Spyridon Marinatos and was subsequently covered up.