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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