Late Minoan cemetery of Armeni

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Uncovered grave sites of the late Minoan cemetery

The Late Minoan cemetery of Armeni ( Greek Υστερομινωϊκό Νεκροταφείο Αρμένων ) is a Minoan necropolis from the 14th century BC. Chr. North of Armeni (Αρμένοι), a place in the Regional District of Rethymno on the Greek island of Crete . The graves uncovered since 1969 are chamber graves carved into the flat rock floor and used as family graves. A settlement belonging to the cemetery, which was in use for around 200 years, has not yet been found.

location

The late Minoan cemetery is located on the road from Armeni to Somatas , about 1.5 kilometers north of the village of Armeni, the capital of the municipality of the same name in the city of Rethymno . The actual urban area of Rethymno is about 5.5 kilometers northeast of the necropolis of Armeni. There is a small parking lot in front of the cemetery, next to which is a single-storey administration building. Information about the late Minoan necropolis is not available here, one is referred to the corresponding archaeological museums in Rethymno and Chania , where finds from the graves are kept. Fifteen meters southwest of the building is the entrance gate of the fenced-in cemetery area, behind which a light, deciduous forest of Valon oaks (Quercus ithaburensis subsp. Macrolepis) , formerly also known as Knopperneichen or Arcadian oaks, and Kermes oaks (Quercus coccifera) extends below where the tombs were exposed.

description

Entrance gate to the cemetery

In 1969 the Archaeological Museum of Rethymno received two Minoan vases from two students from the Armeni area. During the investigation of the site, the burial chambers of the late Minoan cemetery, carved into the soft rock, were discovered, at the location of which systematic excavations have taken place under the direction of the archaeologist Giannis Tzedakis . To date, more than 220 graves have been uncovered. After the site was fenced in, several grave sites were also found outside the enclosure in 1989.

Access to a medium-sized burial site
Rock bank in the largest burial chamber

The tombs date from around 1390 to 1190 BC. BC, a period that is now known as the post-palace period , more precisely Late Minoan III A and III B. Most of them were domed tombs, each with a filled-in access corridor, called dromos in archeology . The Dromoi led into the limestone underground like ramps, many starting with a few steps carved into the rock. Stone slabs were placed in front of the burial chambers to close them off from the outside.

The graves were mainly oriented in an east-west direction. They are of different sizes; in the two largest burial chambers, the builders worked a central or two pillars on the walls out of the rock to support the chamber ceilings. The largest of the graves is at the south end of the fenced area. It has a dromos 16 meters long and a square burial chamber with a side length of 5 meters. The grave differs from others by a surrounding stone bench carved out of the rock.

The corpses placed in clay sarcophagi , painted wooden coffins, upside down pithoi or directly on the floor were wrapped in linen in a crooked position (embryonic or sleeping position). Investigations on the approximately 500 recovered skeletons gave indications of the way of life of the inhabitants of this area in the late Minoan period, such as their carbohydrate-rich and low-meat diet. Since several burials were found in each of the graves, most of the burials are assumed to be family graves. The grave goods and skeletons also point to this. The average young age at death of those buried here is remarkable, which was around 30 years for men and 23 years for women.

Finds from the tombs, which were largely untouched before the excavations, are exhibited in the archaeological museums of Rethymno and Chania . The grave goods found, such as vessels, statuettes, weapons, jewelry, tools and other things, point to burials of a Mycenaean culture. Among the items from the graves is an amulet with an inscription in the hitherto undeciphered Linear A . The sarcophagi from the larger burial chambers are painted with motifs of double axes ( labrys ), octopuses, cult horns and hunting scenes.

The size of the necropolis is an indication that it was the cemetery of a late Minoan town. Its location has not yet been localized, and the search continues. The Late Minoan cemetery of Armeni can be visited every day except Mondays, the interiors of the larger burial chambers are illuminated. The access from the street is signposted.

  • Excavations of the late Minoan cemetery

  • Smaller graves in the cemetery area

  • Steps to the dromos of a grave

  • Central pillar in the second largest burial chamber

  • Sarcophagus of the necropolis in the museum in Chania

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c The late Minoan cemetery in Armeni. www.rethymno.gr, archived from the original on February 23, 2014 ; Retrieved July 6, 2010 .
  2. ^ Andreas Schneider: Crete . Dumont Reise Verlag, 2007, ISBN 978-3-7701-5601-6 , p. 232 .
  3. ↑ Botanik-Slide-Archive - Dr. Roland Spohn - letter Q. www.spohns.de, accessed on July 12, 2010 .
  4. ↑ Oak forests near Armeni and Kastellos, palm beach of Preveli (June 9, 1992). www.amleto.de, accessed on July 4, 2010 .
  5. ↑ Νεκρόπολη Αρμένων. www.rethymno.gr, accessed July 6, 2010 .
  6. ↑ Αρμένοι. www.archaiologia.gr, accessed July 6, 2010 .
  7. ↑ a b c Eberhard Fohrer: Crete . Michael Müller Verlag, Erlangen 2009, ISBN 978-3-89953-453-5 , p. 539 .
  8. ↑ a b Lambert Schneider : Crete . Dumont art travel guide, Ostfildern 2006, ISBN 978-3-7701-3801-2 , p. 266 .
  9. ↑ Klaus Bötig , Otto Gärtner: Crete . Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, dtv-MERIAN-Redaktion Munich 1993, ISBN 3-423-03724-5 , p. 77 .
  10. ↑ a b Minoan civilization - Armeni. www.uk.digiserve.com, accessed July 7, 2010 .
  11. ^ Lambert Schneider: Crete . Dumont art travel guide, Ostfildern 2006, ISBN 978-3-7701-3801-2 , p. 265 .
  12. ↑ Klaus Bötig, Otto Gärtner: Crete . Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, dtv-MERIAN-Redaktion Munich 1993, ISBN 3-423-03724-5 , p. 156 .

Web links

Commons : Late Minoan Cemetery of Armeni  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 35 ° 19 ′ 5 ″  N , 24 ° 27 ′ 46 ″  E