Traostalos

Traostalos is a Minoan peak sanctuary at 515 m altitude in eastern Crete, located 3.2 km from the palace of Zakros. First excavated in 1963-1964 by Kostis Davaras, with further campaigns in 1978 and a rescue excavation in 1995 by Stella Chryssoulaki. Finds include clay human and animal figurines, a notable female figure with a swollen leg, ceramic boats, stone altars, votive clay limbs suggesting healing rituals, bronze needles, gold ribbons, and Linear A inscriptions. The sanctuary illustrates the link between peak sanctuaries and early Minoan state formation.