Petras
The Pre- and Proto-palatial cemetery (2800-1800 BC)
Metaxia Tsipopoulou, Ph.D.
Director emerita Hellenic Ministry of Culture, National Archive of Monuments
Director of the Petras excavations, Crete, Greece
The monumental complexes at Petras, Siteia occupy two neighbouring hills, 2 km to the east of the modern town, and has been excavated since 1985. A Minoan palace, parts of various settlements, a Middle Byzantine cemetery as well as an extensive Pre- and Proto-palatial cemetery, the largest in Crete of these periods, have been excavated to date. They testify to a unique historical continuity. The cemetery comprises 17 large burial buildings (house tombs) with complex plans and a burial rock shelter. A special feature is the special arrangement with enclosing walls, two large ceremonial areas and corridors between the house tombs. Τhe Petras cemetery served only the elites of the settlement, and along with its monumental architecture, has produced finds of exceptional quality, such as seals, stone vases, gold, silver and bronze jewellery, tools and decorated ritual pottery.
Key words: Minoan cemetery, palatial elites, house tombs, seals, stone vessels, pottery
COPYRIGHT: © Themes in Archaeology, 2017 - ISSN 2653-9292
Author for correspondence: mtsipopoulou@yahoo.gr
The original article is in the Library of the Themes in Archeology
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