Description
Book SynopsisThe 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.
Table of Contents1. Introduction, Philip P. Betancourt
2. The Isthmus of Ierapetra, Philip P. Betancourt
3. Geology and Geologic History, Floyd W. McCoy
4. The FN/EM I Settlement Patterns in the Northern Part of the Isthmus of Ierapetra, Philip P. Betancourt
5. The FN/EM I Settlement Patterns in the Southern Part of the Isthmus of Ierapetra, Kostas Chalikias
6. The Excavation of the Site, Philip P. Betancourt
7. The Architecture, Philip P. Betancourt
8. The Pottery, Philip P. Betancourt
9. The Ground and Chipped Stone Tools, Heidi M.C. Dierckx
10. The Faunal Remains, David S. Reese
11. Arboriculture at Aphrodite's Kephali, Evi Margaritis
12. Hillforts and Watchtowers, Philip P. Betancourt
13. The Place of Aphrodite's Kephali in the Early Development of Fortifications, Philip P. Betancourt
14. The Significance of Aphrodite's Kephali, Philip P. Betancourt
Appendix A. The Ceramic Petrography, Eleni Nodarou
Appendix B. Gas Chromatography Analysis, Andrew Koh and Philip P. Betancourt
References
Index
