Sites with a Prehistoric Phase in Region 8

Ag. Marina

The last two lessons have given you an idea of the sort of information an archaeologist can discover in the field. For Ag. Marina you can get even more evidence by using the database on the Sphakia Web site. Ag. Marina is in Region 8 within Sphakia. The map of Sphakia regions shows you where Region 8 is.

In the Site database, select ‘Prehistoric’ in the PREHISTORIC PHASE field, select ‘8’ in the SITE REGION field (which will return only Prehistoric sites in Region 8), and click BEGIN SEARCH.

Here are some questions we asked:

• How many sites with a Prehistoric phase are there in Region 8?
• Ag. Marina (8.78) is at 26m above sea level. Are the other Prehistoric sites at the same altitude?
• Ag. Marina is 350 x 900m (ca. 40,000 sq. m). Are most sites bigger or smaller than Ag. Marina?
• Where would you place Ag. Marina in the local settlement hierarchy in Region 8, in terms of size (top, the largest, or toward the bottom)?
• Are sites with a Prehistoric phase evenly distributed across Region 8? What factors might explain a patchy distribution?
• How does Ag. Marina compare with Neo-palatial Knossos? You could compare it now, and also after you have completed Unit 4 Session 1 Lesson 3 on Pottery and other Ceramic Artefacts.

What are your thoughts? What other questions do you have? Go to the Discussion Forum to share your ideas with others.