Korakias peak sanctuary
The Korakias peak sanctuary is a Minoan mountain-top shrine on Korakias peak above the village of Atsipades, about 20 km south of Rethymno in the Agios Vasileios valley. Korakias was excavated in a single season in 1989, and the dig recovered around 5,000 fragments of clay figurines left there as offerings.
The peak is a northern spur of Mount Kouroupas, and it rises over the valley below. Its name comes from the Greek word for a raven.
What a Minoan peak sanctuary was
A Minoan peak sanctuary was an open-air shrine on or near a prominent summit. Alan Peatfield, who excavated Korakias, counted some 25 of them known on Crete in 1994. Worshippers left pottery and clay figurines as votive offerings, in three main kinds: animals, human figures, and separate parts of the body offered in prayer or thanks for healing.
Peak sanctuaries sat close to grazing land, easy to see and reach from the settlements around them. Peatfield chose Korakias because it was small, poor and rural, unlike the large, rich sanctuaries of Juktas and Petsophas that had shaped earlier ideas about the cult.
The excavation of Korakias
The excavation of Korakias followed its identification as a peak sanctuary in 1986. Peatfield ran the project from University College Dublin, at the time the only archaeological project in Greece directed from an Irish university, and he completed the excavation in one season in 1989.
The team recovered around 5,000 figurine fragments and 2,500 diagnostic potsherds, and plotted the position of each one. That record made it possible, for the first time, to map exactly where offerings were placed inside a Minoan shrine. Study seasons followed every year from 1990, and in 1991 a survey covered the mountain slopes and 19 km² of the Agios Vasileios valley.
The two terraces
The two terraces of Korakias held different kinds of ritual. The Upper Terrace lies to the west and the Lower Terrace to the east.
On the Upper Terrace, only the eastern edge belonged to the sanctuary. A dense scatter of water-worn pebbles surrounded a hollow in the rock, and the hollow itself was empty, while the earth around it was thick with potsherds and figurine fragments. Peatfield read this as the main ritual area, perhaps centred on a sacred stone that stood in the hollow. The pottery closest to it, jugs, cups, bridge-spouted jars and rhyta in the shape of vessels and animals, points to liquid offerings, while large dishes and open bowls a little further out suggest offerings of food.
On the Lower Terrace, rock clefts run along the west side below the drop, and a flat open area lies to the east. 60% of all the figurines were found in those rock clefts, which marks them as the main place of offering. In 1993 the team identified a second offering area, a flat rock with many potsherds on and around it.
What the figurines show
The figurines at Korakias are mostly cattle, which shows how much cattle-breeding mattered to the people of the valley. Peatfield notes that travellers still described the area as known for its cattle into the Middle Ages.
- The male figures wear loincloths and have scalplocks.
- The female figures wear long dresses with open bodices, and hats.
- The votive limbs include legs and torsos, and a large number of phalli, a type not recognised before at any peak sanctuary.
The survey of the valley found small settlements of the same date, but no large town or palatial villa. That pattern fits a shrine used by a rural community of farmers and herders.
How old the sanctuary is
The sanctuary was in use for about six centuries of the Bronze Age. The earliest material dates from Early Minoan III, around 2300 BC, and there is evidence of use in Middle Minoan I, from 2000 to 1800 BC. The great majority of the finds date from Middle Minoan II, around 1700 BC, and nothing later was found.
Things to do near Korakias
The Korakias peak has 4 villages and gorges within 4 km, listed below from nearest to furthest.
- Visit the village of Koxare, 1.7 km east.
- Walk the Kakoperatos gorge at Agios Vasileios, 2.6 km north.
- See the Kourtaliotiko gorge and its waterfall, 3.3 km south-east.
- Stop in the village of Asomatos, 3.6 km south.
Getting to Korakias
Korakias lies about 20 km south of Rethymno, above the village of Atsipades. The peak overlooks the Agios Vasileios valley, and the village of Agios Vasileios lies 2.6 km to the north.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Korakias peak sanctuary?
The Korakias peak sanctuary is on Korakias peak above Atsipades, about 20 km south of Rethymno, overlooking the Agios Vasileios valley.
Who excavated Korakias?
Korakias was excavated by Alan Peatfield of University College Dublin, in a single season in 1989.
What was found at Korakias?
The excavation found around 5,000 clay figurine fragments and 2,500 diagnostic potsherds, mostly figurines of cattle, along with human figures and votive limbs.
How old is the Korakias sanctuary?
The sanctuary dates from around 2300 BC to around 1700 BC, with most of the finds from Middle Minoan II.
What does the name Korakias mean?
The name Korakias comes from the Greek word for a raven.
Location
Korakias peak sanctuary is located at Korakias peak sanctuary, in the Rethymno region of Crete. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
