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Archaeological
Site of Palaikastro |
THE
FIRST EXCAVATORS 1902 - 1908
In April 1902, Robert Carr Bosanquet (center) went to Palaikastro
to find the Minoan palace, like those recently discovered at Knossos
and Phaistos, and the temple of Diktaian Zeus, famous from the inscription
with the Magnesian arbitration award in the Toplou Monastery. He
returned in 1903-5 with R. M. Dawkins (left), C. T. Currelly (right)
and M. N. Tod. They uncovered the Minoan town blocks A to S at Roussolakkos,
while J. L. Myres excavated the peak sanctuary at Petsofas and W.
L. H. Duckworth and C. H. Hawes studied the Minoan cemeteries. They
failed to find the Minoan palace, but found the inscription with
the Hymn to the Greatest Kouros, which proved that Palaikastro was
the ancient Diktaion - the sanctuary of Cretan-born, or Diktaian
Zeus, the main Cretan deity.
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THE
FIRST EXCAVATORS 1902 - 1908 |
THE RECENT
EXCAVATORS FROM 1983 to today |
THE
RECENT EXCAVATORS FROM 1983 to today
L. H.
Sackett (center) returned again in 1983 with J. A. MacGillivray
(right) and J. M. Driessen (left) to conduct a new search for the
Minoan palace. They began with a site survey using magnetometer
and surface indicators, which determined that Minoan Palaikastro
was 30 hectares in extent. In 1986, with a large international team,
they uncovered the southwest sector of the city with Buildings 1
to 7. Their greatest find, the Palaikastro Kouros, indicated that
the ancient Diktaion probably had a Minoan predecessor. The recent
geophysical survey directed by I. K. Whitbread and M. Boyd showed
that the town was even larger and has located the traces of a large
structure in a previously unexplored area.
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Copyright
2000 - 2010 © by www.palaikastro.com
Permission Granted by directors: Mr H.Sackett, Professor A.MacGillivray,
Professor J. Driessen
and the British School At Athens Archivist.
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