Phylaki is a modern village and the archaeological site of an ancient
Minoan
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age culture which was centered on the island of Crete. Known for its monumental architecture and Minoan art, energetic art, it is often regarded as the first civilization in Europe. The ruins of the Minoan pa ...
cemetery on
Crete
Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
.
Archaeology
The site, discovered in 1981, is a
Late Minoan IIIA tholos tomb
A beehive tomb, also known as a tholos tomb (plural tholoi; from , ''tholotoi táphoi'', "domed tomb(s)"), is a burial structure characterized by its false dome created by corbelling, the superposition of successively smaller rings of mudb ...
. At least 9 burials were made here.
Artefacts found included a gold necklace which contained 28 rosettes of gold, fifteen
seal stone
Minoan seals are impression seals in the form of carved gemstones and similar pieces in metal, ivory and other materials produced in the Minoan civilization. They are an important part of Minoan art, and have been found in quantity at specific ...
s, amulets, bronze weapons and bronze utensils. Ivory decorations from a wooden box include: the heads of warriors in boar's tusk helmets, Plaques found are decorated with wild goats, sphinxes and "figure of eight" shields.
This area was used as a dump site for the town, which may have preserved it from damage to the smaller items that were hidden under the trash and animal bodies.
References
* Swindale, Ia
"Phylaki"Retrieved 11 Feb 2006
External links
* http://www.minoancrete.com/phylaki.htm
1981 archaeological discoveries
Minoan sites in Crete
Tombs in Greece
Beehive tombs
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