HE PEAK OF VROKASTRO towers 313 meters above the Bay of Mirabello in east-ILern Crete (P1. 75:a).... more HE PEAK OF VROKASTRO towers 313 meters above the Bay of Mirabello in east-ILern Crete (P1. 75:a). On its summit and north slope in 1910 and 1912 Edith Hall excavated a Late Bronze and Early Iron Age settlement.1 Vrokastro remains one of the few excavated sites belonging to this transitional period; it is important for its size, length of occupation, and variety of artifacts, tomb types, and burials.2 Because excavation took place early in this century, data concerning the site and its environment are understandably fragmentary. The goal of the Vrokastro Survey Project is to place this settlement within a regional context in order to understand better how it functioned and related to its environment.3 The study area flanks the Bay of Mirabello from the Istron River valley (P1. 75:b) on the west to a small plain west of Gournia (Figs. 1, 2, 3). The southern limits extend from the village of Prina, at the southwest corner, across the Meseleri basin (P1. 75:c), to the mountain of Stauromenos on the east (P1. 75:d). The Istron River valley and gorge north of Prina (P1. 75:e) form the western boundary, and the eastern boundary lies at the watershed between the Xeropotamos (P1. 75:f) and Gourniapotamos rivers (Fig. 3). The mountain of Vrokastro and the Kopranes range rise steeply from the coast to enclose an area of upland hills and fields. South of these fields another mountain range extends from Kolumbous (P1. 76:a) to Mount Schinauria, at an elevation of 698 meters (P1. 76:b). This elevation is modest by Cretan standards; it lies within the limits of permanent settlement, and within this range grain, vines, and olives can be cultivated. Much of the mountainous terrain is complex and difficult. Steep ravines, dense wood, and cliffs are obstacles to
>> HEN EDITH HALL DOHAN excavated the Late Minoan IIIC-Geometric settlement of Vrokastro in 1910-... more >> HEN EDITH HALL DOHAN excavated the Late Minoan IIIC-Geometric settlement of Vrokastro in 1910-1912 for The University Museum, she drew what she termed an "amateur plan" of the rooms that were excavated in 1910,1 on the summit of the limestone spur (Fig. 1; elev. + 313.10 m.). The mountain is located in eastern Crete just south of the main east-west highway which today links the nearby village of Kalo Chorio, west of the site, to the village of Pachyammos, approximately six kilometers farther east. A larger portion of the settlement, between elevations 40 and 65 m. below the summit, was excavated in 1912 but not described in the final publication,2 and a plan of this area was never drawn. Included in this paper are new, more accurate plans, a description of both the upper and the lower portions of the excavated settlement, and a map of the area indicating the various routes to the summit.3 The two areas excavated in 1910 and 1912 include a substantial portion of the settlement but by no means all of it, as Hall pointed out. Several structures, including tombs, were located on the hills (Karakovilia, Mazichortia, and Amigthali; see Fig. 1) southwest of I E. H. Hall, "Excavations in Eastern Crete, Vrokastro,"
HE PEAK OF VROKASTRO towers 313 meters above the Bay of Mirabello in east-ILern Crete (P1. 75:a).... more HE PEAK OF VROKASTRO towers 313 meters above the Bay of Mirabello in east-ILern Crete (P1. 75:a). On its summit and north slope in 1910 and 1912 Edith Hall excavated a Late Bronze and Early Iron Age settlement.1 Vrokastro remains one of the few excavated sites belonging to this transitional period; it is important for its size, length of occupation, and variety of artifacts, tomb types, and burials.2 Because excavation took place early in this century, data concerning the site and its environment are understandably fragmentary. The goal of the Vrokastro Survey Project is to place this settlement within a regional context in order to understand better how it functioned and related to its environment.3 The study area flanks the Bay of Mirabello from the Istron River valley (P1. 75:b) on the west to a small plain west of Gournia (Figs. 1, 2, 3). The southern limits extend from the village of Prina, at the southwest corner, across the Meseleri basin (P1. 75:c), to the mountain of Stauromenos on the east (P1. 75:d). The Istron River valley and gorge north of Prina (P1. 75:e) form the western boundary, and the eastern boundary lies at the watershed between the Xeropotamos (P1. 75:f) and Gourniapotamos rivers (Fig. 3). The mountain of Vrokastro and the Kopranes range rise steeply from the coast to enclose an area of upland hills and fields. South of these fields another mountain range extends from Kolumbous (P1. 76:a) to Mount Schinauria, at an elevation of 698 meters (P1. 76:b). This elevation is modest by Cretan standards; it lies within the limits of permanent settlement, and within this range grain, vines, and olives can be cultivated. Much of the mountainous terrain is complex and difficult. Steep ravines, dense wood, and cliffs are obstacles to
>> HEN EDITH HALL DOHAN excavated the Late Minoan IIIC-Geometric settlement of Vrokastro in 1910-... more >> HEN EDITH HALL DOHAN excavated the Late Minoan IIIC-Geometric settlement of Vrokastro in 1910-1912 for The University Museum, she drew what she termed an "amateur plan" of the rooms that were excavated in 1910,1 on the summit of the limestone spur (Fig. 1; elev. + 313.10 m.). The mountain is located in eastern Crete just south of the main east-west highway which today links the nearby village of Kalo Chorio, west of the site, to the village of Pachyammos, approximately six kilometers farther east. A larger portion of the settlement, between elevations 40 and 65 m. below the summit, was excavated in 1912 but not described in the final publication,2 and a plan of this area was never drawn. Included in this paper are new, more accurate plans, a description of both the upper and the lower portions of the excavated settlement, and a map of the area indicating the various routes to the summit.3 The two areas excavated in 1910 and 1912 include a substantial portion of the settlement but by no means all of it, as Hall pointed out. Several structures, including tombs, were located on the hills (Karakovilia, Mazichortia, and Amigthali; see Fig. 1) southwest of I E. H. Hall, "Excavations in Eastern Crete, Vrokastro,"
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