Late Minoan necropolis of Armeni  - 30th March 2007

The Late Minoan necropolis of Armeni is located about 9 km south of Rethymnon just off the road leading to Spili. It was discovered by accident some decades ago and is still being excavated. Until now, about 200 underground burial chambers have been discovered. The chamber tombs are cut into quite a hard rock which explains why they are so well preserved.

The chambers are approached by a passage (dromoi) starting at ground level and descending to the entrance of the tomb using a ramp or steps or both. The walls are cut into the rock and are closer to each other at the top than at the bottom. You can still see many of the flat rocks that were used to cover the entrances lying nearby. Some of these tombs are very small but a few are deep and large. One has a central pillar in the chamber, another has benches carved into the walls.

The cemetary is located in a forest of Valonia (or Vallonea) oaks (Quercus macrolepis).
The place is not a well-known toursit destination so it is generally very peaceful. Because it is fenced off (it is open very day until 15.00 - entrance is free) and not cultivated the grounds are also home to many flowers and orchids. I'll show a few of those in the next few days.

You can click on the bottom picture to enlarge.