Gold-adorned remains of Archaic-era woman found on Crete

Sep 30, 2010, 16:10 GMT

Athens - Archaeologists excavating an ancient site on the southern Mediterranean island of Crete discovered the gold-adorned remains of a woman from the Archaic period (800­480 BCE), Greek media reported Thursday.

The site of the ancient city of Eleftherna is located at the foothill of Mount Psiloritis, or Mount Ida, the mythical birth place of Zeus, the father of the Greek gods.

The team of experts at the Univeristy of Crete, led by Nikolaos Stampolidis, unearthed more than 3,000 tiny gold plaques next to the human remains, according to the Athens News Agency ANA.

A unique piece of jewellery depicting a bee as a goddess was among the plaques, the reports said.

Reports said the finding was made inside a 7th-century grave, located very near a necropolis of fallen warriors.

Eleftherna was considered to have been one of the most powerful cities of the ancient Dorian civilisation. The region was inhabited for at least 4,500 years.

Research has brought to light findings dating from the Minoan civilisation up to the Byzantine era.

Since excavations work was launched 27 years ago, experts have uncovered Minoan-era pottery, jewellery, tools, the ruins of buildings, a castle tower and a bridge.

Paved Roman roads and a Byzantine church have also been discovered in the region.