Agios Georgios Papoura
| Agios Georgios Papoura | ||
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 View from the north to Agios Georgios Papoura. |
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| height | 1026 m | |
| location | near Lagou ; Lasithi , Crete ( Greece ) | |
| Mountains | Selena Mountains | |
| Coordinates | 35 ° 12 '24 " N , 25 ° 27' 38" E | |
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| particularities | Ancient hilltop settlement | |
Agios Georgios Papoura ( Greek Άγιος Γεώργιος Παπούρα ), also called Papoura for short , is a mountain north of the Lasithi plateau on the Greek Mediterranean island of Crete . The mountain drops steeply to the north. About 600 m west of the highest elevation is the Ambelos pass , 1.1 km south of Pinakiano and 1.2 km southeast of Lagou . The remains of an ancient city have been found on the Papoura . In addition, a cemetery from the Geometric period was found on the eastern slope .
antique City
In 1937 the English archaeologist John Pendlebury made a test excavation on the southeast slope of the Papoura. Here he found ceramic shards that ranged from the protogeometric to the geometric to the archaic period . He also found a few fragments of the black-glazed goods. At the highest point, walls and other ceramics were discovered in an area of 400 m west-east and 200 m north-south. Few litter finds date from the Middle Minoan to the Roman period . The English archaeologist Arthur Evans bought a Linear A board , which is said to come from the papoura.
From the finds one concludes that the city on the Agios Georgios Papoura around 900 BC. Was founded. Since the Karphi settlement was abandoned at that time , it is believed that the residents moved here. The papoura was more convenient to reach and was closer to the pass of Ambelos, the main northern entrance to the Lasithi plateau. The pass to the northeast of the mountain certainly had a certain importance in ancient times. The city developed into the largest city on the plateau and was probably the only one at times. In the Geometric Period, the city was believed to be twice the size of Karphi. The inhabitants founded new places on the edge of the Lasithi Plateau, and around 500 BC. The city was finally deserted. On the south-eastern slope, a sanctuary appears to be dating back to the 5th and 4th centuries BC. To have passed.
name of the city
The name of the city on the Papoura has not been passed down. However, there is an inscription from the 6th century BC. BC, who names the city Dattalla ( Greek Δάτταλλα ), which is located between Lato and Lyttos . Since the city on the Papoura is the only city from this period that lies in this area, it was assumed that this must be Dattalla. In 1969 the British Museum in London bought a bronze miter . In ancient times, this miter was smoothed and used as a writing board. The inscription on both sides mentioned that the city of Dataleis ( Greek Δαταλεῖς ) had hired the scribe Spensithios. Based on the characters used, the inscription can be traced back to around 500 BC. To be dated. It is believed that Dataleis is a different spelling for Dattalla and that this inscription confirms the identification.
Tholos tomb
On the eastern slope, John Pendlebury discovered a Tholos grave from Geometric times in 1937 . It was preserved up to a height of 1.50 m and had a flat dromos , a covered stomion and a round chamber. The grave was dug into the hill and the entrance was to the east. The dome consisted of regular cantilevered vaults made from uncut local limestone. The grave was surrounded by solid rectangular masonry and originally looked like a windowless house from the outside. The Tholos as well as the Dromos were built between 900 and 700 BC. Used for burials. Since the grave was robbed in modern times, the excavator made only sparse finds.
literature
- Livingston Vance Watrous: Lasithi. A History of Settlement on a Highland Plain in Crete . Princeton, New Jersey 1982.
- Didier Viviers: La cité de Dattalla et l'expansion territoriale de Lyktos en Crète centrale . In: Bulletin de correspondance hellénique . tape 118 , no. 1 , 1994, p. 229-259 ( persee.fr [accessed January 4, 2015]).
