Arkades. 700- 600 BC This richly painted oenochoe, a wine jug, is dated to the 7th century BC and is one of the most important examples of Archaic Cretan pottery. The pictorial scenes on the vessel are especially interesting. The main scene, on the tall cylindrical neck, depicts two lovers in intimate conversation. They may …

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Agia Pelagia. 450-425 BC Towards the end of the 6th century BC, relief funerary stelae appeared on Crete. These are flat stone slabs used as grave markers, on the pattern of the Attic stelae. This marble funerary stele of a young archer is crowned with a pediment and plain acroteria at the upper corners. A …

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Gortyn, Temple of the Egyptian Gods. 180 – 190 AD Hellenistic sculpture of the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC in Crete is represented by few known works. In the following Roman period, on the contrary, large numbers of statues were produced. Most of them are copies and reproductions of famous Classical and Hellenistic works, intended …

Marble statue group of Isis-Persephone and Sarapis-Hades Read More »

Knossos Tekke, North Cemetery. 970 – 870 BC This bronze hemispherical bowl is a plain but elegant grave offering accompanying the burial of two women. It was excavated in the North Cemetery of Knossos and is dated to the 10th century BC. It is a particularly important find, because under the rim is an incised …

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Amnisos. 525 – 480 BC At Amnisos, on the north coast of Central Crete, on the site of the earlier Minoan settlement, a sanctuary dedicated to Zeus Thenatas was founded in the 7th c. BC, as attested by inscriptions of the Hellenistic period. This imposing pair of limestone birds set on bases with three scrolls …

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Palaikastro, Temple of Dictaean Zeus. 6th-4th c. BC (text of the 4th-3rd c. BC inscribed in the 3rd c. AD) The sanctuary and temple of Dictaean Zeus was founded on the ruins of the prehistoric city of Palaikastro in the early Historical period. Here was found the inscription with the so-called Hymn of the Curetes, …

Hymn of the Curetes inscription Read More »

Sanctuary of Hermes and Aphrodite, Syme Viannos. 690 – 670 BC The sanctuary of Syme in Viannos, set in a wooded landscape in the Dicte mountain range, was in continuous use for almost 2,500 years, from 2000 BC to the 7th century AD. From its foundation as an open-air sanctuary in Minoan times to the …

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Apollonia/Agia Pelagia. c. 500 BC These two bronze cauldrons were found in an excavation in the Agia Pelagia area, in a rectangular pit roughly cut into the soft rock. The pit was covered with a stone slab that fitted onto a surrounding ledge. The slab had two circular holes which matched the centres of the …

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Dreros. Second half of 8th c. BC This group of three bronze statuettes, with a larger male figure between two female ones, was found inside the temple of the agora of the ancient city of Dreros. Dated to the 8th century BC, these are the earliest known hammered statuettes, made of joined bronze sheets over …

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Idaean Cave. 730 – 680 BC The shields from the Idaean Cave, among the finest masterpieces of the ancient world, are dated to the 8th and 7th centuries BC and adorned with incised and embossed scenes. They were deposited in the cave as votives, together with a wealth of other offerings, including exceptional examples of …

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