CHANIA - 2009

Chania. 69-71 Igoumenou Gabriel Street (Church of Saints Peter and Paul). S. Preve (ΚΕ’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports the excavation in 1990-1991 of part of a Late Bronze Age cemetery (14 tombs had been located during levelling for the church foundations in 1959-62).

One relatively small tomb was apparently unfinished (perhaps because of faults in the bedrock) and never used. The chamber roof of another was holed to insert a burial in historical times, and the chamber thereafter used as a rubbish pit. Below lay the two original LM IIIA interments with a few vases.

The third tomb is well-preserved. Its 7m long dromos was steep, reaching a depth of 3.05m in front of the entrance at the west; the chamber is roughly circular (3.10m in diameter), ca. 2m high, and has two rock-cut benches on the north and south sides. Two supine burials occupied the centre of the chamber. One was accompanied by eight vases: a ring-vase, an askos, two spouted cups, and four miniatures (a stirrup-jar, cup and two amphoriskoi). Related to the other were, placed on the south bench, three 3-handled stamnoi, a thelastron, spouted cup, 1-handled cup, miniatures (a stirrup-jar and 3-handled amphoriskos), and a bronze blade. A stirrup-jar lay behind the skull. Both burials date to LM IIIA2-B1.