Odigitria tholos cemetery, Ancient burial site near Hodegetria Monastery, Greece.
Odigitria tholos cemetery is a burial ground in southern Crete near the Asterousia mountains, containing two circular stone tombs, multiple courtyards, a central pit for bone storage, and rectangular building structures all enclosed by stone walls. The layout reveals how different sections were used at various stages of the burial process.
The site developed through several construction phases beginning in the Early Minoan period and continuing into the Middle Minoan era, with archaeological excavations starting in 1979 revealing these changes over time. Structural modifications occurred repeatedly as the cemetery was used and adapted across centuries.
The cemetery layout shows how people organized burial spaces, with round stone tombs standing separate from a central pit where bones were later collected and stored together.
This burial ground sits at the western edge of the Asterousia mountains in southern Crete and reaches visitors via walking paths near the nearby monastery. Solid footwear is needed since the terrain is uneven with slopes and scattered stones throughout.
Metal objects discovered in one of the tholos tombs suggest certain people received special burial treatment because of their higher standing in the community. The differences in what was placed in each tomb reveal social divisions that existed in daily life.
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