The archaeological site on the hill of Profitis Ilias at Afratì (South-Central Crete), traditionally known as Arkades, was discovered and explored by members of the Italian Archaeological Mission on Crete between the late 19th and early 20th century. In 1924, extensive excavations conducted by Doro Levi, on behalf of the Italian School of Archaeology at Athens, brought to light a Geometric-Archaic settlement (eighth-sixth century BC) and a necropolis that had been in use from the Protogeometric to the late Orientalizing period (tenth-sixth century BC). This archaeological context is important because it is one of the few Cretan sites dating to the Iron Age that provides both a settlement and a necropolis of contemporary use. Furthermore, the site is significant because of the necropolis’ exceptional quantity and quality of grave goods, among which many imports from all over the Eastern Mediterranean basin are included, representing the expression of an elaborate network of transcultural relationships. The necropolis has additionally revealed a great complexity of mortuary practices characterized by the coexistence of different types of burial customs (i.e. multiple inhumations and single cremations).
Afratì-Arkades (Crete) between the Early Iron Age and Orientalizing Period. Settlement patterns, funerary practices, and interconnections within the Eastern Mediterranean
Giacomo Fadelli
2020-01-01
Abstract
The archaeological site on the hill of Profitis Ilias at Afratì (South-Central Crete), traditionally known as Arkades, was discovered and explored by members of the Italian Archaeological Mission on Crete between the late 19th and early 20th century. In 1924, extensive excavations conducted by Doro Levi, on behalf of the Italian School of Archaeology at Athens, brought to light a Geometric-Archaic settlement (eighth-sixth century BC) and a necropolis that had been in use from the Protogeometric to the late Orientalizing period (tenth-sixth century BC). This archaeological context is important because it is one of the few Cretan sites dating to the Iron Age that provides both a settlement and a necropolis of contemporary use. Furthermore, the site is significant because of the necropolis’ exceptional quantity and quality of grave goods, among which many imports from all over the Eastern Mediterranean basin are included, representing the expression of an elaborate network of transcultural relationships. The necropolis has additionally revealed a great complexity of mortuary practices characterized by the coexistence of different types of burial customs (i.e. multiple inhumations and single cremations).
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