PSEIRA - 2008

Pseira. P.P. Betancourt (ASCSA/Temple) and C. Davaras (Athens) report on fieldwork focused on mapping the geology of Pseira and the quarries used by the Minoans.
Three major quarry areas have been identified on the island, of which 2 were used to quarry metacarbonate, an altered limestone with a layered structure that breaks easily into slabs, and the 3rd produced hard and compact dark gray limestone. Other small areas where stones were removed from bedrock have also been identified. These materials were used differently in the architecture of the town. The metacarbonate was used primarily for floor slabs, thresholds and staircases, while the dark gray limestone was used for load-bearing walls. These 2 materials, plus mud-brick, formed the major components of the Pseiran houses, along with smaller amounts of other stones, including sandstone quarried from the coast near mod. Mochlos and a crystallized limestone from an unknown location.