Eleftherna Orthi Petra

Situated 30km off Rethymnon. The Necropolis of Orthi Petra is part of the wider archaeological site of ancient Eleftherna which is a town with continuous habitation from 3000BC to the Byzantine years.

Situated on the west slope of the ancient Eleftherna hill, it serves as a window to the Homeric world. The finds of the archaeological shovel often coincide with the Homeric verses. The Necropolis (9th – 6th century BC) survived almost unscathed from the consequent ancient and modern interventions by stroke of luck as it was not covered by the newer buildings of the later community. Prof. Nicolaos Stabolidis of University of Crete and his team excavated for 30 years the Homeric pyres and the burial monuments. Thus,they made this place of silence talk eloquently about the customs, doctrines,everyday life and human relations in this important town on Crete. The site of Necropolis is sheltered extensively and will operate soon as an open air museum. The museum of the archaeological site will have been completed in 2015 so the visitors will have the chance to observe hundreds of ancient artifacts (sculptures, reliefs, vessels, jewelry, tools, engravings, etc.) made of clay, stone, gold, silver, copper and iron, which derive from Crete, the Aegean, Asia Minor, Cyprus, east and central Mediterranean.

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