Voyage to Crete: Eleutherna
by Eti Bonn-Muller
July 25, 2009
Over the past two and a half decades, archaeologists have excavated the acropolis, city, and necropolis of ancient Eleutherna under the direction of famous archaeologist Nicholas Stampolidis. Occupation dates from the Early Bronze Age (ca. 3000 B.C.) to the Middle Ages (12th-13th century A.D.).
Although the cemetery is filled with skeletons, the tranquil site is teeming with life, including an orchestra of chirping cicadas and a troupe of yellow butterflies dancing in the ever-present gentle breeze.
Additional information about the site, featuring video interviews with Stampolidis and important team members, will soon be available online.
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Notis Agelarakis, a noted expert in forensic anthropology and human ecology, studies a burial in the process of excavation. A human bone can be seen protruding from the soil near his feet. To the left of the bone, a bronze vessel—located in the skeleton’s pelvic girdle region—inches out of the ground.
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