In August 2018, a farmer living in the northern part of the island of Crete, in the region of Ierapetra, made an incredible discovery: unbeknownst to him, a 3,400-year-old tomb dating from the last period of Minoan civilization was located under its olive grove. Apparently, the loss of an irrigation hose weakened the ground above the burial chamber: when the man approached his car to park it in the shade of an olive tree, the weight and vibrations caused to fall off the ground.
After observing the opening about a meter wide, the farmer immediately realized that it was not a fox den, so he immediately notified the authorities.
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image credit: Greek Ministry of Culture
Buried between 1400 and 1200 BC. J.-C., Two men rest quietly in their clay sarcophagi, surrounded by dozens of personal effects. The type of burial and the colors of the objects found suggest a medium-high social status.
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image credit: Greek Ministry of Culture
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image credit: Greek Ministry of Culture
The tomb dug three meters under the ground, remained hidden from the tomb robbers, which allowed the objects to reach us in an almost perfect state of preservation.
It was perhaps also a “historical” aspect that fooled the underground treasure seekers: many believe that the Minoan civilization was concentrated in the flat region of the island and that there was no settlement in the part. the mountainous region of Ierapetra. The discovery, already sensational in itself, could also force researchers to reconsider this belief.
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image credit: Greek Ministry of Culture
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image credit: Nikos Petassis / Facebook
So far, little is known about the people buried inside, but authorities are confident they will be able to learn a lot about their history and the family lineage to which they belong.
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image credit: Nikos Petassis / Facebook
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image credit: Nikos Petassis / Facebook
For now, just admire this fascinating discovery: it seems that the Minoan civilization, which died out very quickly perhaps due to natural disasters, seems to still have a lot to tell in posterity.
source used: news.artnet.com