Odigitria

Odigitria is a Minoan cemetery in the Asterousia mountains of southern Crete, near the Odigitria Monastery. The site contains two tholos tombs (A and B), a rectangular building, courtyards, an ossuary, and a possible altar enclosed within a peribolos wall. Dating from Early Minoan I to Middle Minoan IA, the tombs were in use for over 1,000 years, with three construction phases beginning in the Final Neolithic. Artifacts include seals, gold diadems, a gold bracelet, and 474 obsidian blades, most made specifically as grave goods. Bodies were initially interred in tholos tombs or pithoi before secondary transfer to the ossuary.