Minoan Burials under the Phylakeion at Gournia, East Crete
Traces of probable violence were observed on human remains associated with artifacts, from a 1960’s excavation in the proximity of house tombs vii and viii in the North Cemetery at Gournia, that are believed to originate from a tomb uncovered during excavations for the foundations of the guardhouse...
Guardado en:
| Publicado en: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/bch, |
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| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Lenguaje: | Anglais |
| Publicado: |
Bulletin de correspondance hellénique
2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Sumario: | Traces of probable violence were observed on human remains associated with artifacts, from a 1960’s excavation in the proximity of house tombs vii and viii in the North Cemetery at Gournia, that are believed to originate from a tomb uncovered during excavations for the foundations of the guardhouse (fig. 1). An assemblage of 101 vases dated mainly to the Proto- and Neo-palatial periods, includes, in addition to several burial pithoi and larnakes, mainly shapes associated with the preparation of food and drink offered at the burial or at other ceremonies connected with ancestor worship. Personal possessions include a spindle whorl, loom weights, stone tools and a piece of obsidian (figs. 2–4). An MNI (minimum number of individuals) of seven individuals was determined from a collection of 177 human bones, which, like the pots, were completely shattered. Many bone fragments were small indeed, though not particularly brittle nor seriously weathered. Some bones have sharp oblique fractures that seem to have been sustained when the bones were fresh, probably due to violence (fig. 5). Another possible cause of the damage could be desecration of the tombs since the town suffered successive destructions. A further contribution to the social history of the Gournia population was furnished by two extraordinary finds: the spontaneous preservation of soft tissue on a metatarsal bone is the first evidence of tuberculosis at Gournia and it implies that the disease imposed a serious constraint on the growth of the population. |
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