DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12762#0081
CHAPTER IV
PORTI
porti The site of Porti lies between the villages of Kantela and Vasilika Anogeia in
Mesara, about four kilometres to the north-west of Koumasa. There was a
settlement and a cemetery at this site. I was led to their discovery by a small
Middle Minoan barbotine jug brought to me by a peasant, who had found it in
tilling the soil.
The site is on a hill known locally as Bairam's Hill (tov Miraipd/xr) to Trcnrovpi),
which on its north-western part is formed of two terraces. The more southerly
and the higher of these was encircled by a wall of large unworked stones of
which only the bottom course is left for the greater part of the circuit. This
plateau measures 24 m. from east to west, and 18-50 m. from north to south.
The second plateau is irregular in shape and larger, and has preserved a con-
siderable length of a double retaining wall at the northern end, which is
precipitous. This retaining wall originally extended much further, but its
two ends have fallen down carrying with them a section of the tholos tomb IT.
The Acropolis Operations were begun on the smaller higher plateau. The encircling
wall was first cleaned up, and then trial trenches were opened, which, however,
Description yielded nothing, for the natural rock was struck directly under the surface.
The denuding effects of rain and cultivation had swept away whatever had
existed here in ancient days, in all probability the citadel—the acropolis in
Greek phrase—of the town down below.
On the lower plateau, however, important remains came to light. Here,
The Cemetery as the excavation revealed, was the cemetery of an important settlement which
lay lower down the hill to the south on the part that is now under cultivation.
Large piles of stones from the debris of ancient buildings had been formed in
the fields by the farmers, who pick them out as they come across them and
throw them into heaps.1
Of the cemetery on the plateau we found one vaulted tomb, Tholos IT,
another small rectangular tomb, and other burials destroyed for the most part
by the plough.
The trenches that we opened at various spots on the plateau found a
quantity of stones and remains of walls, and among them in three different
1 TpdxaAos or Tpo^aAos is the name given in due to the disintegration of ancient structures,
Crete to a heap of stones picked out from a field. such T^d^aAot are often an indication of the
Since the presence of the stones is frequently existence of ancient remains.
PORTI
porti The site of Porti lies between the villages of Kantela and Vasilika Anogeia in
Mesara, about four kilometres to the north-west of Koumasa. There was a
settlement and a cemetery at this site. I was led to their discovery by a small
Middle Minoan barbotine jug brought to me by a peasant, who had found it in
tilling the soil.
The site is on a hill known locally as Bairam's Hill (tov Miraipd/xr) to Trcnrovpi),
which on its north-western part is formed of two terraces. The more southerly
and the higher of these was encircled by a wall of large unworked stones of
which only the bottom course is left for the greater part of the circuit. This
plateau measures 24 m. from east to west, and 18-50 m. from north to south.
The second plateau is irregular in shape and larger, and has preserved a con-
siderable length of a double retaining wall at the northern end, which is
precipitous. This retaining wall originally extended much further, but its
two ends have fallen down carrying with them a section of the tholos tomb IT.
The Acropolis Operations were begun on the smaller higher plateau. The encircling
wall was first cleaned up, and then trial trenches were opened, which, however,
Description yielded nothing, for the natural rock was struck directly under the surface.
The denuding effects of rain and cultivation had swept away whatever had
existed here in ancient days, in all probability the citadel—the acropolis in
Greek phrase—of the town down below.
On the lower plateau, however, important remains came to light. Here,
The Cemetery as the excavation revealed, was the cemetery of an important settlement which
lay lower down the hill to the south on the part that is now under cultivation.
Large piles of stones from the debris of ancient buildings had been formed in
the fields by the farmers, who pick them out as they come across them and
throw them into heaps.1
Of the cemetery on the plateau we found one vaulted tomb, Tholos IT,
another small rectangular tomb, and other burials destroyed for the most part
by the plough.
The trenches that we opened at various spots on the plateau found a
quantity of stones and remains of walls, and among them in three different
1 TpdxaAos or Tpo^aAos is the name given in due to the disintegration of ancient structures,
Crete to a heap of stones picked out from a field. such T^d^aAot are often an indication of the
Since the presence of the stones is frequently existence of ancient remains.