Kamares Cave, CreteKOSTIS S. CHRISTAKIS
The Kamares Cave is situated on the south
slope of the Mount Psiloritis massif, at an
altitude of 1,524 m. The cave is easily visible
from PHAISTOS and the Mesara Plain. It was
explored in 1895 by Mariani and excavated by
Dawkins and Laistner in 1912–13. Inside the
cave, there is a huge vaulted outer chamber, a
narrow twisting passage, and a second, smaller
inner chamber. Stalagmites and stalactites are
found only in the inner section.
The cave was used from the Final Neolithic
period until the end of the Late Bronze Age
(3600–1100 BCE). It was occasionally visited
during the Iron Age and the Roman periods.
Despite the lack of votive offerings, it is gener-
ally argued that the cave was a place of cult.
The greatest number of finds, mostly
ceramics, come from the inner area of the cave,
and these are dated to the Middle Minoan II
period (1800–1700). Morphological features
and potting technology indicate that the pottery
was produced in the area of the western Mesara
Plain; imports from other areas, including from
the island of Gavdos, were also found. Other
finds include a few clay animal figurines, stone
and bone tools, and six iron spearheads of
post-Minoan date.
Among the finds were vessels decorated with
finely painted polychrome motifs. This superb
variety of Minoan pottery, first found at
Kamares, has been named Kamares Ware.
This pottery style flourished during theMiddle
Minoan period (1900–1640). It is distinctive
for the inventiveness of the ornaments and the
complex decorative syntax. Important centers
of production and distribution of Kamares
Ware were located in the area of Phaistos, one
of the places from which the pilgrims who
frequented the Kamares Cave originated.
Kamares Ware was exported in the Aegean
and the eastern Mediterranean.
SEE ALSO: Crete; Pottery, Bronze Age.
REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS
Dawkins, R. M. and Laistner, M. L. W. (1912–13)
“The excavation of the Kamares Cave in Crete.”
Annual of the British School at Athens 19: 1–34.
Rutkowski, B. (1986) The cult places of the Aegean.
New Haven.
Tyree, E. L. (2001) “Diachronic changes in Minoan
Cave cult.” In R. Laffineur and R. Hagg, eds., Potnia:
deities and religion in the Aegean Bronze Age: 39–50.
Liege.
The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, First Edition. Edited by Roger S. Bagnall, Kai Brodersen, Craige B. Champion, Andrew Erskine,
and Sabine R. Huebner, print pages 3685–3686.
© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Published 2013 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah02085
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