Stravomyti Cave is 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 ...

cave 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 ...

Geography

Stravomyti Cave is 400 meters above sea level on Mt. Juktas' southwest slope.

Archaeology

Stravomyti Cave first saw use during

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

times, as a refuge and burial. During the

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 ...

period, the quality of pottery suggests that people lived in the caves. Thereafter, it was used for storage and worship. The cave may have once been a shrine to a female deity -

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

, Diktynna or perhaps Eileithyia.

References

* Sakellarakis, J. and E. 1991 ''Crete Archanes'' (guidebook) Neolithic sites in Crete Minoan sites in Crete Ancient caves of Greece {{Crete-geo-stub