Elite Minoan Burials Unearthed in Crete

[Jovialis]

CRETE, GREECE—Tornos News reports that several graves dated to the Minoan period were unearthed in Petras, an ancient cemetery in northeastern Crete where elites who may have lived in a nearby palace were buried. Archaeologist Metaxia Tsipopoulou said the first grave, dated to between 2100 and 2000 B.C., contained the remains of a man who was buried with a bronze short sword, and a woman accompanied by a beads made of gold, silver, crystal, carnelian, and jasper. The second grave, dated to between 2600 and 2300 B.C., also contained hundreds of small silver and gold beads thought to have been sewn onto a garment, and gold beads decorated with spirals. A third burial held the remains of two children under the age of ten, who were buried with two bracelets made from thin sheets of gold. Their tomb was lined with stone slabs. For more, go to “The Minoans of Crete.”

https://www.archaeology.org/news/6948-180906-crete-petras-burials

http://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-n...tions-at-petras-cemetery-on-crete-island.html

 

[Angela]

CRETE, GREECE—Tornos News reports that several graves dated to the Minoan period were unearthed in Petras, an ancient cemetery in northeastern Crete where elites who may have lived in a nearby palace were buried. Archaeologist Metaxia Tsipopoulou said the first grave, dated to between 2100 and 2000 B.C., contained the remains of a man who was buried with a bronze short sword, and a woman accompanied by a beads made of gold, silver, crystal, carnelian, and jasper. The second grave, dated to between 2600 and 2300 B.C., also contained hundreds of small silver and gold beads thought to have been sewn onto a garment, and gold beads decorated with spirals. A third burial held the remains of two children under the age of ten, who were buried with two bracelets made from thin sheets of gold. Their tomb was lined with stone slabs. For more, go to “The Minoans of Crete.”

https://www.archaeology.org/news/6948-180906-crete-petras-burials

http://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-n...tions-at-petras-cemetery-on-crete-island.html

It will be interesting to see how much Caucasus they have.

Also interesting would be a comparison at some point of elite versus commoners to see if it was evenly spread throughout the population or if elite groups had more of it.

 

[kmak]

are there some information of haplogroup of elite minoan burials?

 

[bicicleur 2]

some fresh graves with some uncontaminated remains
with todays know-how they should be able to extract quite some data about the early Minoan elite, the people who probably shaped the Minoan civilization

 

[MOESAN]

It will be interesting to see how much Caucasus they have.

Also interesting would be a comparison at some point of elite versus commoners to see if it was evenly spread throughout the population or if elite groups had more of it.

I totally agree that comparisons elites vs commoners is of weight in studies about ancient DNA; some of our conclusions in some cases for some cultures or periods are based only upon elites burying, and even if they are numerous and that this number give us confidence, this can mistake us more than a time concerning basic populations and real weight of populations supposed turnover.

 

[Angela]

I totally agree that comparisons elites vs commoners is of weight in studies about ancient DNA; some of our conclusions in some cases for some cultures or periods are based only upon elites burying, and even if they are numerous and that this number give us confidence, this can mistake us more than a time concerning basic populations and real weight of populations supposed turnover.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[bicicleur 2]

I totally agree that comparisons elites vs commoners is of weight in studies about ancient DNA; some of our conclusions in some cases for some cultures or periods are based only upon elites burying, and even if they are numerous and that this number give us confidence, this can mistake us more than a time concerning basic populations and real weight of populations supposed turnover.

it would be interesting not only from where but also when these elites arrived
they may have been there already a few centuries before when bronze age in the Aegean started

 

[ToBeOrNotToBe]

it would be interesting not only from where but also when these elites arrived
they may have been there already a few centuries before when bronze age in the Aegean started

Probably either from the Kura-Araxes expansion (most likely imo), or from seafarers across the Black Sea.