Megalos Peristeres cave - Rethymno - 2025
General Information
Record ID
22735
Activity Date
2025
Chronologies
Keywords
Type of Operation
Institution
Localisation / Geographical Information
Toponym
Rethymnon, Rethimnon
Rethymnon, Rethimnon
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Report
Megalos Peristeres Cave - Rethymno. Andreas Darlas (Ephorate of Palaeoanthropology-Speleology) and Thomas Strasser (Providence College) report on the second season of a synergasia between the Ephorate of Palaeoanthropology-Speleology and ASCSA.
Six new trenches were opened, in order to learn the extent and nature of the stratigraphy in trench X08, and to learn how much of the Palaeoloxodon was preserved in addition to its atlas bone found in 2024. A significant challenge was that much of the area was covered by a layer of highly calcified soil, often with many bones solidified within. One third of the skeleton of the Palaeoloxodon, along with obsidian immediatedly beside a rib, (Fig. 1) and a lithic artifact below the calcified soil. A complete elephant tusk was also found as well as some molars in adn below the calcified soil level.
Six new trenches were opened, in order to learn the extent and nature of the stratigraphy in trench X08, and to learn how much of the Palaeoloxodon was preserved in addition to its atlas bone found in 2024. A significant challenge was that much of the area was covered by a layer of highly calcified soil, often with many bones solidified within. One third of the skeleton of the Palaeoloxodon, along with obsidian immediatedly beside a rib, (Fig. 1) and a lithic artifact below the calcified soil. A complete elephant tusk was also found as well as some molars in adn below the calcified soil level.
Author
Georgios Mouratidis
Bibliographic reference(s)
Unpublished ASCSA field report.
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Date of creation
2026-09-16 10:38:10
Last modification
2026-10-01 09:08:54
Picture(s)
Fig. 1/ Obsidian found near Paleoloxodon creutzburgi’s rib.
Fig. 2/ Lithic artifact recently (Oct. 2025) found associated with the Paleoloxodon creutzburgi.