Pseira

Psira (Greek Ψείρα ( f sg ) = louse ) is a small and nowadays uninhabited Greek island north of Crete. The island lies off the coast of the Gulf of Mirabello ostkretischen and belongs to the municipality of Sitia. It is located about 3 km west of the coastal town of Mochlos and 10 km east of the town of Agios Nikolaos. The 204 meter high-rise and only sparsely vegetated island has a length of about 2,300 m, a maximum width of 900 m and has an area of ​​1.4 km ².

On Psira to find the ruins of a Minoan port city. She was lying southeast of a sheltered bay. The remains of the port facilities and the lower parts of the city are now below sea level; the higher ruins are located on the present-day coastline and extending on the lower slopes and can be viewed in the context of excursions. Also the remains of a Byzantine monastery can be found on the island.

Research

A Turkish sailor told 1903 the American amateur archaeologist Richard Berry Seager of walls and broken glass on the island Psira. Seager visited the island and quickly realized that it was a similar settlement as Gournia. In 1906 he undertook with 20 workers for three days a trial trench and then decided here weiterzugraben 1907. From 13 May to 20 July 1907 he undertook with 80 workers on excavations Psira. His uncle Benjamin H. Berry supported him and made the drawings and plans to. Seager put a Minoan harbor town freely with more than 60 houses and was able to demonstrate some Roman buildings. Furthermore, he found Minoan terraces for agriculture and a Minoan cemetery.

From 1985 to 1995 studied Philip H. Betancourt and Costis Davaras the excavation site. Among other things, they studied the effects of the Minoan eruption on the settlement and the further career afterwards.

Excavation

The Minoan town was situated on a promontory north of data used as a harbor bay. First traces of settlements date from the early minoïan time (FM I and FM II). The houses were built at this time directly on the rock. In later times, the debris from this period was used to compensate for uneven ground and so took the time. From this time the Obsidian stronghold, the Seager was derived. The oldest surviving walls dating to the late early period ( EM III ). At this time you have small stones made ​​of gray limestone, quarried on the island used for house construction. Bricks were used at any time. In the following period (MM I) the houses were further used, but received a new floor. At this time the settlement was destroyed for the first time.

The city was rebuilt and reached to MM III and LM IA its greatest extent. The houses were built of larger partially rough-hewn stones. They were often at least two floors, in a building Seager could prove even four. As the houses were built on the hillside, they often had on each floor an entrance. In a house Seager found remains of a plaster reliefs depicting a queen or goddess. This is now in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. In another building there was a large number of stones, which he interpreted as projectiles. About staircases that ran between the houses they reached the port from the higher-lying district.

Currently LM IA found the Minoan eruption, how could prove Betancourt instead. The second destruction occurred only to LM IB and so was not directly related to the volcanic eruption. Found stone vessels and high-quality ceramics, some of the palace-style show that Psira was a prosperous city. Main source of income was probably the long-distance trade over the seas. After the destruction of the city was abandoned. At SM III it was repopulated to leave shortly thereafter permanently. Seager Greek red-figure vases found few shards that suggest a small settlement on the island. During the Roman Empire it was on the highest point of the island a beacon and a small harbor town belonging to 20 to 30 m².

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