Phourni
Encyclopedia
Phourni is the archaeological site of an ancient Minoan
cemetery in Crete
. Phourni is Greek for "oven" and the name of the hill on which the cemetery is located.
. It is a small hill situated northwest of Archanes
, between Archanes and Kato Archanes. Phourni is reachable from a signed scenic path that starts at Archanes.
The cemetery at Phourni was in use from Early Minoan II
to Late Minoan IIIC
- over one thousand years.
A tholos tomb first discovered in 1965 dates to 14th century BCE and shares a ground plan with tholos tombs at Mycenae
and Orchomenus. Early Minoan tholos tombs and ossuaries
have been excavated in the south part of the cemetery.
Finds include a dismembered corpse of a sacrificed horse, a bull's skull, a gold ring from a burial with a cultic scene engraved on it, knives, lead weights from a scale, 46 loom
weights, a wine press, a libation
table, bell-shaped figurines, approximately 250 cups, Early Minoan II seals, an Egyptian
diorite
vase, ivory
seals and amulets and a pillar crypt. The bodies of two women found in a Late Minoan tholos tomb are of almost certain royal or religious importance due to the wealth of objects and the unusual sacrifices of a horse and a bull made to the chambers.
More than twenty buildings and tombs have been excavated at Phourni.
Finds excavated from Phourni are at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.
Minoan civilization
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of the British archaeologist Arthur Evans...
cemetery in Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. Phourni is Greek for "oven" and the name of the hill on which the cemetery is located.
Geography
Phourni can be seen from Mount JuktasMount Juktas
A mountain in north-central Crete, Mount Juktas was an important religious site for the Minoan Civilization. Located a few kilometers from the palaces of Knossos and Fourni and the "megaron" at Vathypetro, Mount Juktas was the site of an important peak sanctuary in the Minoan world...
. It is a small hill situated northwest of Archanes
Archanes
Archanes is a former municipality in the Heraklion peripheral unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Archanes-Asterousia, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 4,548 . It is also the archaeological site of an ancient Minoan settlement in...
, between Archanes and Kato Archanes. Phourni is reachable from a signed scenic path that starts at Archanes.
Archaeology
Excavations began at Phourni in 1964 by Efi and John Sakellarakis and have continued until at least 1995.The cemetery at Phourni was in use from Early Minoan II
Minoan pottery
Minoan pottery is more than a useful tool for dating the mute Minoan civilization. Its restless sequence of rapidly maturing artistic styles reveal something of Minoan patrons' pleasure in novelty while they assist archaeologists to assign relative dates to the strata of their sites...
to Late Minoan IIIC
Minoan pottery
Minoan pottery is more than a useful tool for dating the mute Minoan civilization. Its restless sequence of rapidly maturing artistic styles reveal something of Minoan patrons' pleasure in novelty while they assist archaeologists to assign relative dates to the strata of their sites...
- over one thousand years.
A tholos tomb first discovered in 1965 dates to 14th century BCE and shares a ground plan with tholos tombs at Mycenae
Mycenae
Mycenae is an archaeological site in Greece, located about 90 km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Argos is 11 km to the south; Corinth, 48 km to the north...
and Orchomenus. Early Minoan tholos tombs and ossuaries
Ossuary
An ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary...
have been excavated in the south part of the cemetery.
Finds include a dismembered corpse of a sacrificed horse, a bull's skull, a gold ring from a burial with a cultic scene engraved on it, knives, lead weights from a scale, 46 loom
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
weights, a wine press, a libation
Libation
A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid as an offering to a god or spirit or in memory of those who have died. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in various cultures today....
table, bell-shaped figurines, approximately 250 cups, Early Minoan II seals, an Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
diorite
Diorite
Diorite is a grey to dark grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar , biotite, hornblende, and/or pyroxene. It may contain small amounts of quartz, microcline and olivine. Zircon, apatite, sphene, magnetite, ilmenite and sulfides occur as accessory...
vase, ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
seals and amulets and a pillar crypt. The bodies of two women found in a Late Minoan tholos tomb are of almost certain royal or religious importance due to the wealth of objects and the unusual sacrifices of a horse and a bull made to the chambers.
More than twenty buildings and tombs have been excavated at Phourni.
Finds excavated from Phourni are at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.
Further reading
- Sakellarakis, J. and E. Crete, Archanes ISBN 960-213-234-5 (Guidebook)
- Myers, J.W., Myers, E.E. and Cadogan, G. "Archanes-Phourni" The Aerial Atlas of Ancient Crete ISBN 978-0520073821
External links
- http://www.uk.digiserve.com/mentor/minoan/phourni.htm