Zominthos

Ζώμινθος

Greece · Crete, Rethymno

PalaceIntermittent excavationUNESCO · 2025
Approximate period1,900 BCE — 1,650 BCEApproximately the Old Palace period and the New Palace phases of the excavated central building See on the map ↓

In brief

Located on Mount Psiloritis at an elevation of approximately 1,200 metres, Zominthos consists of a multistorey central building and the surrounding settlement. The excavated rooms include production workshops, storerooms, living spaces and cult spaces.

What was found?

  • 1Lady of Zominthos

    It is a hand-modeled terracotta female figurine. According to researchers, its discovery beneath a later altar, in a layer belonging to the Old Palace phase, indicates continuity in the tradition of worship at the same location.

  • 2Potter's wheel and workshop

    A potter's wheel, basins containing clay, and numerous vessels were found in the workshop. These directly show that pottery was produced in the central building.

  • 3Gold sheet depicting a ship

    A gold sheet engraved with a ship was found in front of a hearth. It documents the presence of a maritime image among the finds from the mountain center.

  • 4Colored wall-painting fragments

    Colored wall paintings and painted plaster fragments were uncovered in various rooms of the building. They show that the interiors were carefully decorated.

What does it point to?

Zominthos shows that mountainous regions in the Minoan world also accommodated large and complex centers. The presence of living quarters, storerooms, workshops, and places of worship within the same building indicates that production and ceremonial life came together here.

What did it teach us?

  1. It showed that the Minoans built multistory monumental buildings in mountainous regions.
  2. It documented that pottery production was carried out inside the central building.
  3. According to researchers, the later altar above the figurines provided evidence for the continuity of the place of worship.

Images

Zominthos 14
Olaf Tausch · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

In 2020, a female figurine called the Lady of Zominthos and a bull figurine were found in an Old Palace layer beneath a later altar.

Record

Culture
Minoan
First modern dig
1982
Team / historical
Archaeological Society at Athens; Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki
Coordinates
35.2487°, 24.8870°

Sources

  1. culturalroutes-efareth.culture.gov.gr
  2. journals.openedition.org
  3. whc.unesco.org
  4. en.wikipedia.org

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