| Psychro Cave | |
|---|---|
 Floodlitstalagmites andstalactites in the cave’s interior | |
  Location in Greece | |
| Location | Crete,Greece |
| Coordinates | 35°09′46″N25°26′42″E / 35.1629°N 25.4451°E /35.1629; 25.4451 |
Psychro Cave (Greek:Σπήλαιο Ψυχρού) is an ancientMinoansacred cave inLasithi plateau in theLasithi district of easternCrete. Psychro is associated with theDictaean orDiktaian Cave (Greek:Δικταῖον Ἄντρον;Diktaion Antron), one of the putative sites of the birth ofZeus. Other legends place Zeus' birthplace asIdaean Cave (Ἰδαῖον Ἄντρον) onMount Ida. According toHesiod,Theogony (477-484),Rhea gave birth toZeus inLyctus and hid him in a cave of Mount Aegaeon. Since the late nineteenth century the cave above the modern village of Psychro has been identified with Diktaean Cave, although there are other candidates, especially a cave abovePalaikastro on MountPetsofas.[1]
The cave is located in theprefecture ofLasithi. In Minoan times, the town of Malia was the closest metropolitan center.
The Dictaean Cave is famous inGreek mythology as the place whereAmalthea, nurtured the infantZeus with her goat's milk. The archaeology attests to the site's long use as a place ofcult worship. The nurse of Zeus, who was charged byRhea to raise the infant Zeus in secret here, to protect him from his fatherCronus (Krónos) is also called thenymphAdrasteia in some contexts.[2] It is one of a number of caves believed to have been the birthplace or hiding place of Zeus.[3] The mountains, of which the cave are part, are known in Crete asDikte.
The cave was first excavated in 1886 by Joseph Hatzidakis, President of the Syllogos at Candia, andF. Halbherr.[4] In 1896,Sir Arthur Evans investigated the site.[5]
In 1898 Pierre Demargne conducted brief investigations,[6] followed byDavid George Hogarth of theBritish School at Athens in 1900 who carried out more extensive operations. Hogarth's reports published in 1900[7] give a picture of the destruction wrought by primitive archaeological methods: immense fallen blocks from the upper cave roof were blasted before removal; the rich black earth had been previously ransacked. Thestuccoed altar in the upper cave was discovered in 1900, surrounded by strata of ashes, pottery and "other refuse", among which werevotive objects inbronze,terracotta, iron and bone, with fragments of some thirtylibation tables and countless conical ceramic cups for food offerings. Bones among the ash layer attest tosacrifice of bulls, sheep and goats, deer and a boar.[8]
The undisturbed lowest strata of the upper cave represented the transition between Late MinoanKamares ware to earliestMycenaean levels; finds represented the Geometric Style of the ninth century BCE, but few later than that. More recent excavation has revealed the use of the cave reached back to Early Minoan times, and votive objects attest to the cave's being the most frequented shrine by Middle Minoan times (MM IIIA).[9]
The lower grotto falls steeply with traces of a rock-cut stair to a pool, out of whichstalactites rise. "Much earth had been thrown down by diggers of the Upper Grotto," Hogarth reported, "and this was found full of small bronze objects." In the vertical chinks of the lowest stalactites, Hogarth's team found "toydouble-axes, knife-blades, needles, and other objects in bronze, placed there by dedicators, as in niches. The mud at the edge of the subterranean pool was also rich in similar things and in statuettes of two types, male and female andengraved gems."
In 1961, the art historian and archaeologistJohn Boardman published the finds uncovered by these and other excavations.[citation needed]
While clay human figurines are normally found inpeak sanctuaries, Psychro andthe sanctuary onMount Ida stand out as the only sacred caves that have yielded human figurines. Psychro is also a unique sacred cave for a bronze leg, also known as a votive body part, which is the only votive body part to be found in a sacred cave. More commonsacred cave finds at Psychro include stone and ceramic lamps.
Psychro yielded an uncommon number of semi-precious stones, includingcarnelian,steatite,amethyst,jasper andhematite.
Psychro's artefacts are now on display at theHeraklion Museum, theAshmolean Museum inOxford, theLouvre and theBritish Museum.[10]
Idaean Cave (Greek:Ιδαίο άντρο) is a system ofcaves located on the slopes ofMount Ida on Crete (35°12′30″N24°49′44″E / 35.2082°N 24.8290°E /35.2082; 24.8290 (Idaean Cave)). The deep cave has a single entrance and features stalagmites and stalactites.
Inantiquity it was a place of worship because it was believed to be the cave where the titanRheahid the infantZeus, to protect him from his fatherCronus, who intended to swallow him like others of his progeny. It is one of a number of caves believed to have been the birthplace or hiding place of Zeus.[3] According to a variant of this legend, theKouretes, a band of mythical warriors, undertook to dance their wild, noisy war dances in front of the cave, so that the clamour would keep Cronus from hearing the infant's crying.
Excavations have revealed a large number of votive cult offerings on the site.
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