The Minoan peak sanctuary at Agios Georgios on Mount Kythira became known to the scientific community in the early 1990s, when the late Professor Yannis Sakellarakis conducted an excavation on the hill of the same name, which lasted three research periods (1992-1994). The type of movable finds from that research led to the site being designated a Minoan peak sanctuary, completing the picture of the strong Minoan presence on the island during the Middle and early Late Bronze Age and, above all, broadening the scope of discussion on its origin, nature, and influence during the MM III-LM I period. Certain categories of votive offerings in particular, such as the numerous bronze figurines, stone tools, and architectural models, emphasize the overseas character of the sanctuary and its distinguished visitors during a period of religious centralization and ideological dominance of Knossos, such as MM IIIB-LM IA, and raise the question of its political primacy, but also of the possible realignments in Cretan territory in a broader context.
Read Emilia Banou's paper as presented at the International Conference «ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK IN THE PELOPONNESE (1st AEPEL)» in Tripoli, on November 7-11, 2012.
Resumption of archaeological research at the Minoan peak sanctuary at Agios Georgios on Mount Kythira: 2011-2012
Biography of Emilia Banou
Emilia Banou is a graduate of the Department of History and Archaeology at the University of Athens. She completed her postgraduate studies in Prehistoric, Classical, and Byzantine Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Freiburg, where she also obtained her PhD in Prehistoric Archaeology. She has collaborated with the National Council of Education, where she served as secretary of the plenary session, and with the Hellenic Open University, as an expert on distance learning. She is currently an associate of the Athens University of Economics and Business on educational issues and an adjunct professor in the Department of Conservation of Antiquities at the Technological Educational Institute of Athens. She has published studies and articles in international scientific journals in the field of archaeology, as well as in educational books and magazines. Her interests focus on archaeology and the history of civilisations, but also on issues of educational policy and educational innovation.
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