 Distinctivestalagmites andstalactites of the Diros caves | |
 Interactive map of Caves of Diros | |
| Location | Greece |
|---|---|
| Region | Laconia,Peloponnesus |
| Coordinates | 36°38′17″N22°22′51″E / 36.6380°N 22.3807°E /36.6380; 22.3807 |
| Type | habitation, burial, ceremonial[1] |
| History | |
| Periods | Neolithic |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | |
| Archaeologists |
|
| Public access | Yes; ticket needed |
| Website | The Diros Project |
TheAlepotrypa Cave (Greek: Αλεπότρυπα, 'The Fox's Hole') is aNeolithic-periodarchaeological site on theMani Peninsula of thePeloponnese in southernGreece. Used forburial andcult purposes, it is one of the largest burial sites ever found in Europe. Two adult human skeletons dubbed "theEmbracing Skeletons of Alepotrypa" were found at the site, from a burial dating to the 4th millennium BC; remains from at least 170 separate persons have also been uncovered. The Alepotrypa Cave was also inhabited byearly farmers. It is one of the caves ofPyrgos Dirou.[3][4]
The Alepotrypa Cave site was threatened by private construction work between 1958 and 1970, but theGreek Ministry of Culture cancelled the "touristic exploitation" of the site.Archaeological excavations began in 1970 but were delayed until 1978 due to political complications in Greece. The site was excavated between 1978 and 2005, after which the project was largely put on hold due to lack of funding.[5] In 2010 the Diros Regional Project was founded to conduct a regional survey as the Alepotrypa excavation team began to prepare their findings for publication.Late Neolithic (LN) material has been found in the cave itself, but as of 2013 the survey team has only found material dating to the Final Neolithic (FN) in the nearby open-air areas.[6]
The Alepotrypa Cave is akarst cave. The Mani peninsula is largelyMesozoiccarbonate rocks includinglimestone. As a result ofhydrogeological conditions on the peninsula, the carbonate rockserode to formkarst caves.[7]
The cave is a natural limestone cavity in a dry, rocky landscape, about 20 meters abovesea level and 50 meters from the currentMediterranean shoreline. This karstic formation stretches roughly 300 meters in length and 50 meters in width, running east to west. It features multiple corridors and six large chambers (designated A, B, Γ, Δ, Ε and Z, following theGreek alphabet) and ends in a deep lake (Chamber of the Lakes) with slightlybrackish butpotable water.[8][9]
Finds from the excavation includeLate Neolithic stone,pottery and clay vessels, jewelry and weapons. Painted and incised pottery,shell beads,stone axes, and a completeflintarrowhead have been found, along withblades andflakes ofMelianobsidian.[10]Silver jewelry found at the site suggests the area was wealthy, as silver was extremely rare inBronze Age andNeolithic Europe.[11][12] A rare earlycopper axe, which scholars believe can be dated to the Final Neolithic period, was also found at the Alepotrypa site.[13]
Archaeologists believe that theearly farmers who inhabited this area ate mostlybarley andwheat, and suggest that non-lethalhead injuries found on the skulls may indicate violent confrontations.[14][15][3] Primary burial,cremation, andsecondary burial are all represented at the site; the site was also used for shelter and storage.[5] Evidence ofcultic practice has also been found, including the head of astalagmite-type marbleidol.[16]
Analyses oftrace elements in thestalagmites of the Alepotrypa Cave provide evidence ofprehistoric human activities such as the burning ofdry dung fuel. Analysis has also yielded evidence ofclimate variation, including several periods ofdrought.[17]
In addition to being one of the earliest-known inhabited sites in the southernLaconia region of the Peloponnese,[18] the Alepotrypa Cave is also one of the largestNeolithic burial sites in Europe.[15] Burials in the cave date from between 6,000 and 3200 BC; archaeologists have found bones belonging to at least 170 different persons. Two adult human skeletons dating to the 4th millennium BC, dubbed the "Embracing Skeletons of Alepotrypa," were found at the site, along with aMycenaeanossuary that archaeologists believe dates to the 2nd millennium BC (see "Mythology" below).[15]
Alepotrypa Cave is noted for the way its inhabitants organized its spatial use. Areas near the entrance were used for everyday activities, with evidence of structures, burials, worn tools, and heavily wornpottery. In contrast, the deeper areas were mainly used for cultic rituals (see "Prehistoric religion"), showing evidence of the intentional breaking of decorated, rarely-used vessels, tools, and jewelry.[19]
Paul Cartledge writes that "there was apparently no transitionalChalcolithic phase in thePeloponnese" and adds that thecopper tools found in the Alepotrypa Cave "provide a convenient transition" to theEarly Helladic era.[12]
The settlement was abandoned around 3200 BC, after a catastrophicearthquake caused extensive damage that blocked the cave's entrance.[citation needed]
Greek mythological tradition says there was an entrance to the underworld domain ofHades, god of death, at the nearby site of theTemple of Poseidon at Tainaron, on what is today calledCape Matapan. Archaeologists have speculated that a later-periodMycenaeanossuary dating from 1300 BC may have been carried to the site for reburial during thelate Bronze Age.[15][20]
Some archaeologists, including lead excavator Giorgos Papathanassopoulos, hypothesize that thecultural memory of the Alepotrypa burial grounds had, byclassical antiquity, become associated with the site ofTainaron.[3][15][21][a]
