Eileithyia Cave (also the Cave of Eileithyia) was a

sacred cave 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 ...

dedicated to the goddess of childbirth, Eileithyia, on the island of Crete, that was used from the Neolithic era to the Roman, with worship flourishing in the Late Minoan period. It has been suggested that rock formations within the cave resemble female figures, most prominently a stalagmite in the centre that appears as a standing female.

Geography

The cave is located one kilometer south of the town of

Amnisos Amnisos, also Amnissos and Amnisus (Greek: or ; Linear B: 𐀀𐀖𐀛𐀰 ''A-mi-ni-so''), is the current but unattested name given to a Bronze Age settlement on the north shore of Crete that was used as a port to the palace city of Knossos. I ...

Mythology

The cave is mentioned in

Odysseus Odysseus ( ; grc-gre, Ὀδυσσεύς, Ὀδυσεύς, OdysseúsOdyseús, ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; lat, UlyssesUlixes), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the ''Odyssey''. Odysse ...

's Cretan narrative to Penelope in the Odyssey.

Archaeology

Eileithyia Cave was occupied by prehistoric human settlers from the Neolithic period until around 400 BCE. The archaeological finds made in the cave are on display at the Iraklion Museum and the

Archaeological Museum of Iraklion The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is a museum located in Heraklion on Crete. It is one of the greatest museums in Greece and the best in the world for Minoan art, as it contains by far the most important and complete collection of artefacts o ...

. Pottery ranging from the Neolithic to Roman periods has been discovered in the cave, with the most significant number of finds coming from the Minoan era. Four anthropomorphic vases from the Orientalizing period, which could be of Greek origin were found in the sanctuary. They are similar to Egyptian vases that show Isis nursing her infant son

Horus Horus or Heru, Hor, Har in Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as god of kingship and the sky. He was worshipped from at least the late prehistoric Egypt until the P ...

. The sanctuary is the largest collection of Egyptian and Egyptianizing artifacts on Crete. The cave was discovered by Christoforos Anerrapsis of Candia.

References

External links

* http://www.ellada.com/creteiraklion.html Neolithic sites in Crete Landforms of Heraklion (regional unit) Minoan sites in Crete Ancient caves of Greece Landforms of Crete Mycenaean Crete Mycenaean sites {{Crete-geo-stub