Necropolis of Armenoi

The necropolis of Armenoi is located approximately 10 kilometers south of the modern city of Rethymno and extends on the eastern slope of the Prinokefalo hill. The discovery of the cemetery's location occurred by chance in 1969 when students from the neighbouring village of Somatas found some vessels on the surface, which had been removed from the graves by small animals (European badgers). The cemetery was systematically excavated in 1969 under the direction of Honorary Ephor John Tzedakis. The tombs were primarily undisturbed.

The necropolis dating to the LMIII A-B period (around 1425-1210 B.C.) includes a total of 231 chambered tombs with an entrance passage (dromos) carved in marly limestone. In front of each tomb was an entrance passage (dromos) in the form of a ramp or a set of steps leading to the chamber. The tomb's entrance was covered with a stone slab or a stone-built barrier. Some of the graves had stone tombstones.

The tombs were family tombs. The dead were placed either directly on the floor or in chests. Before each new burial, the practice of the collection of the bones was carried out. The cemetery was organized into three clusters of tombs in the east, west and south. The eastern cluster includes 117 graves in a dense arrangement. The western cluster of tombs consists of 47 tombs in a sparse distribution and is located at the highest level of the necropolis. The southern cluster is relatively isolated and contains 67 tombs. Near the southern cluster and to the north of it, a section of a Minoan road, which provided access to the necropolis, was discovered.

In the interior of the tombs, 32 clay chests (larnakes) with painted decoration and 800 vessels were discovered. Among the grave goods were several bronze tools and weapons, some jewellery of gold, faience and semi-precious stones, and at least 160 seal stones.

The finds from the Necropolis of Armenoi tombs reflect mixed Minoan and Mycenaean elements, which is characteristic after the fall of the Minoan palaces and the arrival of the Mycenaeans in Crete (1500-1450 BC).

Bibliography

Tzedakis, I., &Martlew, H. (1999). Minoan and Mycenaean flavours. Kapon, Athens.

Tzedakis, Y., &Martlew, H. (2007). A chorotaxia at the Late Minoan III cemetery of Armenoi. Krinoi kai limenes Studies in Honor of Joseph and Maria Shaw,22, 68-72, 68- fig.8.1, 70-71.

Tzedakis, Y., Martlew, H., & Arnott, R.(2018). The Late Minoan III Necropolis of Armenoi (Vol. 1). ISD LLC, 1-17.

Papathanassiou, M., Hoskin, M., & Papadopoulou, H. (1992). Orientations of tombs in the Late-Minoan cemetery at Armenoi, Crete. Journal for the History of Astronomy, 23 (17), 45.

Papadopoulou E. 1997, Une tombe à tholos ‘ intra muros’: le cas du cimetière MR d’Arménoi, in Driessen, Farnoux (eds) Actes de la table Ronde, Internationaleorganisee pal l’EcoleFrancaised’Athenes,(25-28 Mars 1991),  319-340.

Tzedakis, Y. &Kolivaki, V.(2018). Background and History of the excavation in Tzedakis et al (eds), The Late Minoan III Necropolis of Armenoi, Vol.1, 6, 8-9, 17

Τζεδάκις, Γ.(1988). Δρόμος ΥΜΙΙΙ νεκροταφείου. Κρητική Εστία, Περίοδος Δ΄, Τόμος 2, Χανιά, 295, πίν.2β.

Eillen Chappell & Steve Allender (2018). Site investigations of the Necropolis and its environs: The search for the town. In Tzedakis, Y., Martlew., H. & Arnott, R. (eds), The Necropolis of Armenoi III, Vol. 1, 32, 46-49.