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Sacred Caves
Sacred caves and peak sanctuaries are characteristic holy places of ancient Minoan Crete. Most scholars agree that sacred caves were used by the Minoans for religious rites, and some for burial. While all peak sanctuaries have clay human figurines, only Idaeon, Trapeza and Psychro have them among the sacred caves. Clay body parts, also called votive body parts, common among peak sanctuaries, appear in no caves with the exception of a bronze leg in Psychro. One author, Tyree (1974), restricts "sacred caves" to those with architectural additions such as "paved areas, partition walls, and low walls surrounding stalagmites", as well as the presence (upon excavation) of "cult implements" of various kinds. Some were "burial caves", used in the Neolithic and Early Minoan periods as secondary burial sites for a community. It is thought that the primary burial site was probably a ''tholos'' beehive tomb in the area, from which remains were moved into the cave after a period. Whether t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamares, Crete
Kamares ( el, Καμάρες) is a village in south-central Crete, Greece. It is the location of an archaeological site of a Minoan sacred cave. The sacred cave at Kamares is slightly offset from a saddle in the Psiloriti Range virtually aligned with the location of nearby Phaistos. Some of the best examples of Middle Minoan pottery have been recovered from the Kamares cave.Gerald Cadogan (1991) '' Palaces of Minoan Crete'', Routledge, 164 pages Kamares has provided the type name for Kamares ware, a ceramic type dating from MM IA, or the First Palace Period. This pottery is a light-on-dark polychrome ware, with forms including jugs and cups. See also *Hagia Triada Hagia Triada (also Ayia Triada, Agia Triada, Agia Trias, , " Holy Trinity") is the archaeological site of an ancient Minoan settlement. Hagia Triada is situated on the western end of a prominent coastal ridge, with Phaistos at the eastern end and ... References Minoan sites in Crete Ancient caves of Gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Landforms Of Crete
A landform is a natural or anthropogenic land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. Landforms together make up a given terrain, and their arrangement in the landscape is known as topography. Landforms include hills, mountains, canyons, and valleys, as well as shoreline features such as bays, peninsulas, and seas, including submerged features such as mid-ocean ridges, volcanoes, and the great ocean basins. Physical characteristics Landforms are categorized by characteristic physical attributes such as elevation, slope, orientation, stratification, rock exposure and soil type. Gross physical features or landforms include intuitive elements such as berms, mounds, hills, ridges, cliffs, valleys, rivers, peninsulas, volcanoes, and numerous other structural and size-scaled (e.g. ponds vs. lakes, hills vs. mountains) elements including various kinds of inland and oceanic waterbodies and sub-surface features. Mountains, hills, plateaux, and plains are the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caves Of Greece
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea caves, rock shelters, and grottos, that extend a relatively short distance into the rock and they are called ''exogene'' caves. Caves which extend further underground than the opening is wide are called ''endogene'' caves. Speleology is the science of exploration and study of all aspects of caves and the cave environment. Visiting or exploring caves for recreation may be called ''caving'', ''potholing'', or ''spelunking''. Formation types The formation and development of caves is known as ''speleogenesis''; it can occur over the course of millions of years. Caves can range widely in size, and are formed by various geological processes. These may involve a combination of chemical processes, erosion by water, tectonic forces, microorganisms ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minoan Religion
Minoan religion was the religion of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization of Crete. In the absence of readable texts from most of the period, modern scholars have reconstructed it almost totally on the basis of archaeological evidence of such as Minoan paintings, statuettes, vessels for rituals and seals and rings. Minoan religion is considered to have been closely related to Near Eastern ancient religions, and its central deity is generally agreed to have been a goddess, although a number of deities are now generally thought to have been worshipped. Prominent Minoan sacred symbols include the bull and the horns of consecration, the labrys double-headed axe, and possibly the serpent. The old view was that, in stark contrast to contemporary cultures in Egypt, Mesopotamia and Syria, Minoan religious practice was not centred around massive formal public temples. However, it now tends to be thought that the Minoan "palaces" and perhaps also the smaller "villas", were themselves th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stravomyti
Stravomyti Cave is an ancient Minoan cave on Crete. Geography The Stravomyti Cave is 400 meters above sea level on Mt. Juktas' southwest slope. Archaeology The Stravomyti Cave first saw use during Neolithic times, as a refuge and burial. During the Early Minoan period, the quality of pottery suggests that people lived in the caves. Thereafter, it was used for storage and worship. The cave may have once been a shrine to a female deity - Artemis, Diktynna or perhaps Eileithyia Eileithyia or Ilithyiae or Ilithyia (; grc-gre, Εἰλείθυια; (''Eleuthyia'') in Crete, also (''Eleuthia'') or (''Elysia'') in Laconia and Messene, and (''Eleuthō'') in literature)Nilsson Vol I, p. 313 was the Greek goddess of ch .... References * Sakellarakis, J. and E. 1991 ''Crete Archanes'' (guidebook) Neolithic sites in Crete Minoan sites in Crete Ancient caves of Greece {{Crete-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamares Ware
Kamares ware is a distinctive type of Minoan pottery produced in Crete during the Minoan period, dating to MM IA (ca. 2100 BCE). By the LM IA period (ca. 1450), or the end of the First Palace Period, these wares decline in distribution and "vitality". They have traditionally been interpreted as a prestige artifact, possibly used as an elite table-ware. The designs of Kamares ware are typically executed in white, red and blue on a black field. Typical designs include abstract floral motifs. Surviving examples include ridged cups, small, round spouted jars, and large storage jars ( pithoi), on which combinations of abstract curvilinear designs and stylized plant and marine motifs are painted in white and tones of red, orange, and yellow on black grounds. The Kamares style was often elaborate, with complex patterns on pottery of eggshell thinness. Sets of cups and jugs have been found, and it has been suggested that these may have been used in ritual, though Kamares pottery presum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hagios Charalambos
''Agios'' ( el, Άγιος), plural ''Agioi'' (), transcribes masculine gender Greek words meaning 'sacred' or ' saint' (for example Agios Dimitrios, Agioi Anargyroi). It is frequently shortened in colloquial language to ''Ai'' (for example Ai Stratis). In polytonic script it is written ''Hagios'' () (for example Hagios Demetrios). It is also transliterated as, inter alia, ''Haghios'', ''Ayios'', ''Aghios'' (for example Ayios Dhometios, Aghios Andreas Beach, respectively) in the singular form, and ''Haghioi'', ''Ayioi'', ''Aghioi'', ''Ayii'' in the plural (for example Ayioi Omoloyites, Nicosia, Aghioi Theodoroi, Ayii Trimithias respectively). The feminine is ''agia'', ''ayia'', ''aghia'', ''hagia'' or ''haghia'' (Greek: or in polytonic form ), for example ''Agia Varvara'' (Saint Barbara). See also * * Agia (other), the feminine form of the word in Greek * Agis (other) * Agii (other) * Agius, a surname * ''Agos'', an Armenian newspaper * Agoi, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peak Sanctuaries
Minoan peak sanctuaries are widespread throughout the island of Crete (Greece). Most scholars agree that peak sanctuaries were used for religious rites. In all peak sanctuaries human and animal clay figurines have been found. Clay body parts, also called votive body parts, are also found in most peak sanctuaries. These open-air sanctuaries are found high in the mountains of Crete. Eastern and east-central peak sanctuaries Most peak sanctuaries are found in east and east-central Crete. * Petsofas is the only Minoan site with clay weasel and tortoise figurines * Traostalos * Kalamafki (also Kalamaki) * Ziros Korphi tou Mare * Xykephalo * Vigla (also Viglos) * Zou Prinias * Plagia * Etiani Kephala * Modi * Thylakas * Maza * Karfi Central Crete peak sanctuaries * Iouktas is probably the earliest of the peak sanctuaries. * Tylissos (also Pyrgos Tylissos, ''not'' the same site as Pyrgos) * Gonies Philioremos Western Crete peak sanctuaries * Vrysinas * Spili Vorizi * A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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