Aphrodite’s Kephali
An Early Minoan I Defensive Site in Eastern Crete
by Philip P. Betancourt
This book provides a discussion of the architecture, artifacts, and ecofacts from the excavation of the Early Minoan I watchtower at the small site of Aphrodite’s Kephali in the Isthmus of Ierapetra in eastern Crete. The site gave easy access to the natural trade route between the Aegean and the Libyan Seas.
The small site of Aphrodite’s Kephali, among several other Minoan and later sites, took advantage of the valley topography in the Isthmus of Ierapetra in eastern Crete by establishing themselves along the nearby hills, resulting in easy access to the natural trade route between the Aegean and the Libyan Seas. A discussion of the architecture, artifacts, and ecofacts are presented from the excavation of this Early Minoan I watchtower. The conclusions challenge some of the commonly held views about Crete in the third millennium B.C. It is suggested that rather than being a precursor to a socially complex state that would arise later, early polities involving several communities probably already existed in the isthmus during the EM I period. Social and economic differentiation existed on a regional, not just a local level, and decisions for mutual defense could involve collaboration by groups of workers, including the building of the watchtower that is the focus of this volume.
- By (author) Philip P. Betancourt
Other Titles in this Series
Mochlos IC
Period III. Neopalatial Settlement on the Coast: The Artisans' Quarter and the Farmhouse at Chalinomouri: The Small Finds
Volume 9
AMILLA
The Quest for Excellence: Studies Presented to Guenter Kopcke in Celebration of His 75th Birthday
Volume 43
Mochlos IVA
Period III. The House of the Metal Merchant and Other Buildings in the Neopalatial Town
Volume 68
The Cave of the Cyclops
Mesolithic and Neolithic Networks in the Northern Aegean, Greece. Volume I: Intra-Site Analysis, Local Industries, and Regional Site Distribution
Volume 21
The Shrine of Eileithyia
Minoan Goddess of Childbirth and Motherhood, at the Inatos Cave in Southern Crete: Volume I: The Egyptian-Type Artifacts
Volume 69
An Archaeological Palimpsest in Minoan Crete
Tholos Tomb A and Habitation at Apesokari Mesara
Volume 70
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