The “Tomb of the Marguerites” (also called Tombeaux des Marguerites), refers to a neolithic ossuary tomb located near Kamilari, in southern Crete

< home # store # services # articles # game # app #contact >

The “Tomb of the Marguerites” (also called Tombeaux des Marguerites), refers to a neolithic ossuary tomb located near Kamilari, in southern Crete

Despite the French name, the tomb is not from the Minoan period but dates to the late neolithic or early bronze Age
Just before or on the cusp of Minoan civilization.

It is close to the well-known Minoan site of Phaistos. Near Kamilari, southern Crete, and not far from the Mesara Plain

It is a communal ossuary tomb, or burial chamber used for successive interments

The tomb is a circular stone-built chamber, possibly an early type of tholoi (beehive-shaped tombs), though simpler and less monumental than later versions

It was constructed with rough stones, roofed (possibly with timber or stone slabs), and used for communal burials
It’s associated with the Mesara-type tombs, common in southern Crete during final neolithic/ early bronze age.

Multiple human skeletons were found, likely buried over time
Ceramic vessels, especially pyxides (lidded jars) and bowls; stone tools, including blades and grinders; figurines, including stylized human or animal shapes (indicative of symbolic or religious behavior). Were all found.

It could suggest complex mortuary practices, possibly involving rituals of ancestor veneration

This tomb reflects early communal burial customs, predating the individual tombs and shaft graves seen in later Minoan or Mycenaean periods

Bibliography:

Leave a Reply

error: Content is protected !!

Discover more from

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading