Sacred caves and

peak sanctuaries Minoan peak sanctuaries are widespread throughout the island of Crete (Greece). Most scholars agree that peak sanctuaries were used for religious rites high in the mountains of Crete. Human and animal figurines, as well as signs of religious arc ...

are characteristic holy places of 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 ...

Crete. Most scholars agree that sacred caves were used by the Minoans for religious rites, and some for burial. While all peak sanctuaries have clay human figurines, only Idaeon, Trapeza and

Psychro Psychro Cave () is an ancient Minoan sacred cave in Lasithi plateau in the Lasithi district of eastern Crete. Psychro is associated with the Diktaean Cave (; ''Diktaion Antron''), one of the putative sites of the birth of Zeus. Other legends pl ...

have them among the sacred caves. Clay body parts, also called

votive A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...

body parts, common among

, appear in no caves with the exception of a bronze leg in Psychro. One author, Tyree (1974), restricts "sacred caves" to those with architectural additions such as "paved areas, partition walls, and low walls surrounding

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; ; ) is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically composed of calcium carbonate, but may consist ...

s", as well as the presence (upon excavation) of "cult implements" of various kinds. Some were "burial caves", used in the Neolithic and

Early 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 ...

periods as secondary burial sites for a community. It is thought that the primary burial site was probably a ''tholos''

beehive 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 ...

in the area, from which remains were moved into the cave after a period. Whether this usage overlapped with usage for religious cult, or whether the two phases were distinct, is uncertain and a matter of discussion.INSTAP, 1-3

List of sacred caves

Arkalochori Arkalochori () is a town and a former municipality in the Heraklion regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Minoa Pediada, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area ...

Hagios Charalambos ''Agios'' (), plural ''Agioi'' (), transcribes masculine gender Greek words meaning 'sacred' or 'saint' (for example Agios Dimitrios, Agioi Anargyroi). It is frequently shortened in colloquial language to ''Ai'' (for example Ai Stratis). In pol ...

- burial cave * Inatos * Kamares, where

Kamares ware Kamares ware is a distinctive style of Minoan pottery produced by the Minoans in Crete. It is recognizable by its light-on-dark decoration, with white, red, and orange abstract motifs painted over a black background. A prestige style that requir ...

was first found * Mameloukou * Phaneromeni * Skotino *

Stravomyti Stravomyti Cave is an ancient Minoan cave on Crete. Geography Stravomyti Cave is 400 meters above sea level on Mt. Juktas' southwest slope. Archaeology Stravomyti Cave first saw use during Neolithic times, as a refuge and burial. During the Ea ...

Notes

References

* Jones, Donald W. 1999 ''Peak Sanctuaries and Sacred Caves of Minoan Crete'' * "INSTAP": Louise C. Langford-Verstegen, Costis Davaras, Eleni Stravopodi, ''Hagios Charalambos: A Minoan Burial Cave in Crete: II, The Pottery'', 2016, INSTAP Academic Press,
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Minoan religion Caves of Greece Landforms of Crete

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 ...

Minoan sites in Crete {{Crete-geo-stub

List of sacred caves

See also

Notes

References