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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 12-08-22
CONTENTS
[01] Minoan-era 'villa' unearthed
[01] Minoan-era 'villa' unearthed
AMNA--A Minoan-era building dating from 1,600 to 1,400 BC was unearthed
at an altitude of 900 metres at the Gaidourofas site, near Ierapetra,
in eastern Crete.
According to initial assessments, the building served as a late Bronze
Age (Neopalatial period) "mansion".amna
The structure retains all of its walls and has not been pillaged. It is
believed that its residents abandoned the building after a catastrophe
without taking with them personal and household objects. The nature
of the catastrophe has not been clarified and will be the subject of
further excavation and research.
The excavation was part of a five-year research programme implemented and
funded by the University of Athens, with the financial backing of several
institutions in Greece and abroad. The programme is headed by Yannis
Papadatos, a professor of prehistoric archaeology at the University of
Athens, and Costas Halikias, a lecturer at the Heidelberg University.amna
Archaeologists said similar structures exist at other sites on Crete,
but only in the plains or at a lower altitude, often linked with the
farming sector of the period in which they were built. amna
"Buildings at such a high altitude help us understand the role of
mountainous regions in the Minoan economy, their natural sources and
wealth-producing resources," prof. Papadakis said.
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