Atsipades

Minoan peak sanctuary in western Crete, identified in 1985 and excavated in 1989 by Alan Peatfield of the British School at Athens. Active from Early Minoan III to Middle Minoan II (c. 2300-1700 BC), the open-air hilltop site yielded around 5,000 terracotta votive fragments including human figurines (primarily male), animal figurines (mostly cattle), ceramic lamps, and altars. The predominance of votive limbs suggests the sanctuary served a healing function for the rural farming communities of the nearby Ayios Vasilios Valley.