Site details

Kato Symi

PK	C6040
TITLE	Kato Symi
WGS84	35.05597° N, 25.500057° E
Accuracy	Exact

LAT/LON	35.05597, 25.500057
LON/LAT	25.500057, 35.05597

DMS

35° 3' 21.492" N

25° 30' 0.2052" E

W3W	caravan, spacemen, kindness
UTM	35 S, 363216, 3880278
EGSA87	636646, 3879990

Elevation m	1133
Elevation feet	3717.2
Region	Crete
Subregion	Viannos

GENERAL SITE TYPE Sanctuary

TYPE

1.    Artifacts.   Lebessi [2009], 529    See especially the discussion of the Anasyrma type figurines that begins on this page.
2.    Artifacts.   Langohr [2009], 103    'Trois exemplaires remarquables d'épées en bronze avaient été déposés dans l'ancien sanctuaire de Symi ; ... ', ' Un grand pithos, ... '
3.    Buildings.   Lebessi [2009], 529    See the map of the complex layout on pg. 523, Fig. 2.
4.    hab.   Syriopoulos [1995], 1332    'Architectural remains ... '
5.    hab.   Syriopoulos [1995], 1412    'Architectural remains from the Geometric, ceramics and small finds ...'
6.    Sanctuary.   Kanta [1980], 119    'A large and important sanctuary of Hermes and Aphrodite has recently been uncovered ...'
7.    Sanctuary.   Syriopoulos [1995], 1152    'The sanctuary of Krya Vrissa ... '
8.    Sanctuary.   Myers et al. [1992], 268    'Syme is the only Cretan cult site that has produced evidence of continuous occupation and ritual activity from the Minoan to the Roman period.'

PERIOD (High Chronology)

1. Middle Minoan IA: (2100 BC - 1900 BC)
    a.    Lebessi [2009]: 522, ' ... the very first open-air layout of the site, dating in Middle Minoan (MM) IA and ... '

2. Middle Minoan IB: (1900 BC - 1850 BC)
    a.    Lebessi [2009]: 528, ' ... C, MM IB-MM II building ... '

3. Middle Minoan II: (1850 BC - 1750 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 270, 'MM II Sherds from various contexts.'
    b.    Lebessi [2009]: 528, ' ... C, MM IB-MM II building ... '

4. Middle Minoan III: (1750 BC - 1675 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 270, 'MM III - LM I ... '
    b.    Lebessi [2009]: 524, ' ... the more drastic modification of the ground when in early MM III the new building type ... was constructed to accommodate outdoor cult activity.'

5. Late Minoan: (1675 BC - 1075 BC)
    a.    Lebessi [2009]: 527, ' ... the small bipartite roofed Building L, which was used from late LM III/Sub-Minoan down to the Geometric period ... '

6. Late Minoan I: (1675 BC - 1470 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 270, 'MM III - LM I ... '

7. Late Minoan II: (1470 BC - 1420 BC)
    a.    Kanta [1980]: 119, 'The LM II and LM III A are at present represented by some swords and sherds.'
    b.    Langohr [2009]: 103, ' ... des exemplaires knossiens MR II - IIIA, ... '
    c.    Myers et al. [1992]: 270, 'LM II - III A Buildins S continues in use; pottery and three bronze swords.'

8. Late Minoan III: (1420 BC - 1075 BC)
    a.    Lebessi [2009]: 525, ' ... of schematic LM III figurines ... ', ' ... is foreign to LM III iconography.

9. Late Minoan IIIA: (1420 BC - 1330 BC)
    a.    Langohr [2009]: 103, ' ... des exemplaires knossiens MR II - IIIA, ... '
    b.    Myers et al. [1992]: 270, 'LM II - III A Buildins S continues in use; pottery and three bronze swords.'

10. Late Minoan IIIB: (1330 BC - 1200 BC)
    a.    Kanta [1980]: 119, 'LM III B and C pottery and figurines - animal and human - of clay and bronze, ...'
    b.    Syriopoulos [1995]: 1152, ' ... was also used in the III B period as is demonstrated by the ceramics found there.'
    c.    Langohr [2009]: 103, ' ...; il était accompagné de poteries MR IIIB, ... '
    d.    Myers et al. [1992]: 270, 'LM IIIB Storeroom R with pithoi ... '

11. Late Minoan IIIC: (1200 BC - 1075 BC)
    a.    Kanta [1980]: 119, 'LM III B and C pottery and figurines - animal and human - of clay and bronze, ...'
    b.    Myers et al. [1992]: 270, 'LM IIIC Building Q ... '
    c.    Lebessi [2009]: 523, 'From the end of Late Minoan (LM) IIIC to the first millenium and thereafter, ... '

12. Protogeometric: (1100 BC - 900 BC)
    a.    Syriopoulos [1995]: 1332, '... and small finds of the Protogeometric period ...' from several plots in this area.'
    b.    Myers et al. [1992]: 270, 'PG - G First phase of altar ... '

13. Subminoan: (1060 BC - 900 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 270, 'SM - PG Partly excavated Building L.'

14. Geometric: (900 BC - 700 BC)
    a.    Syriopoulos [1995]: 1412, 'Architectural remains from the Geometric, ...'
    b.    Myers et al. [1992]: 270, 'PG - G First phase of altar ... '

15. Late Geometric: (760 BC - 700 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 270, 'LG - EA Second phase of altar ... '

16. Archaic: (700 BC - 480 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 270, 'A Partly excavated 6th - century B.C. roofed building ... '

NOTES

1. Kanta [1980] 119 says of this site: "Part of an LM III B/C platform found at a lower level, and with a different orientation than the later Greek platforms, shows that the direct continuation of religious practices at the site also extended to the architectural forms. Thus, Symi, like Amnisos, shows a transmission of cult from Minoan to post-Minoan times. There is thus a stronger and more evident link between the Prehistoric past and the Greek world on Crete than on the mainland."

2. See the aerial photo in Lebessi [2009] pg. 521, fig. 2.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Kanta [1980]: Kanta, Athanasia. The Late Minoan III Period in Crete; A Survey of Sites, Pottery and their Distribution. Paul Åströms Förlag, Göteborg. Sweden. 1980., '10. Kato Symi', pg. 119.

2. Langohr [2009]: Langohr, Charlotte. PERIPHEREIA: Étude régionale de la Crète aux Minoen Récent II-IIIB (1450-1200 av. J.-C.) 1 | La Crète centrale et occidentale, Presses Universitaires de Louvain, Belgium, 2009., '2.3.11. Symi', pg. 103. Online here.

3. Lebessi [2009]: Lebessi, Angeliki. ‘The Erotic Goddess of the Syme Sanctuary, Crete’, American Journal of Archaeology (113:4), 521-545, 'The Erotic Goddess of the Syme Sanctuary, Crete', pg. 521. Online here.

4. Myers et al. [1992]: Myers, J. Wilson and Eleanor Emlen Myers, Gerald Cadogan. The Aerial Atlas of Ancient Crete. University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles. United States of America. 1992., '39 Syme', pg. 268.

5. Syriopoulos [1995]: Syriopoulos, Konstantinos. Γενικος Συνοπτικος Καταλογος Των Περιεχομενων και των Δυο Τομων: Δευτερος Τομος. Athens: Athens Archaeological Society. 1995., '545, Kato Symi', pg. 1152. and 1332, 1412. This source in modern Greek.