Posted on 11/18/2011 7:13:57 PM PST by SunkenCiv
A four-sided red jasper sealstone is among the finds unearthed during this season's excavation of the Minoan peak sanctuary at Vrysinas, located south of the city of Rethymnon. The whole area was officially announced and included in the archaeological sites list by the Central Archaeological Council of Greece.
The sealstone, which is carved on all four surfaces with characters of the Minoan Hieroglyphic script, constitutes the sole evidence to date for the presence of this earliest Minoan style of writing in Western Crete.
The excavation, which began in 2004, is conducted by the Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities under the supervision of the archaeologist Helena Papadopoulou in collaboration with Prof. Iris Tzachili from the Department of History and Archaeology of the University of Crete.
A preliminary study of the artefacts recovered thus far -- including some 800 clay votive statuettes and a significant number of ceramic vessels -- indicates that the peak sanctuary was in use throughout the First Palace period (1900-1700 BC) and continued until at least the beginning of the New Palace phase, after which time it was relocated to a lower part of the plateau.
The Vrysinas sanctuary is believed to have been the most sacred peak in Western Crete. The site's undeniable ritual context puts it on a par with other important Minoan peak sanctuaries like those at Iouktas, Petsofas and Traostalos Kofinas in central and eastern Crete.
(Excerpt) Read more at greece.greekreporter.com ...
Looks like Halloween candy sans wrapping.
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Not to act like Iminoan everything ... but technically it has six sides.
Looks kind of like a bead.
:’)
If Greece is broke where is the archaelogy department getting it’s money?
Do they know what it says?
Grant money from outside Greece. Or maybe the gubmint is pritning it.
Sunk,
The stone contours and Greco Cretan diction, is clearly a medical sooth. A prelude (or in some contexts, follow on) to placing of the hand. Wish there was color pix.
A fine bit of work, obviously not of Minoan origin.
Neat post, thanks.
Rab
Thanks Rab, but that is a color pic.
It isn’t Greek, it is Minoan hieroglyphics:
http://minoan.deaditerranean.com/2011/08/02/new-vrysinas-hieroglyphic-seal/
Andras Zeke [23 August 2011 at 10:21] says: Thank you for showing the image here. What little I can understand from it (it would really be good to see all the 4 sides, not just 2), is the following: (1) it seems to be a boustrophedon and (2) the upper seal-facet displays what I label a “primary title”. This two-membered sign-group (”trowel”-”arrowhead”) is extremely common on all seals, but I cannot read it yet — no one can — at the current stage of matters.
http://www.enet.gr/?i=news.el.texnes&id=298348
http://www.arxaiologia.gr/site/content.php?artid=9447
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