Săpăturile de pe acropola așezării Paleokastro din insula Kythera, Grecia: investigarea relațiilor dintre așezare și cimitir
Excavations on the Acropolis of Paliocastro on the island of Kythera, Greece: Investigating the Relationship between the Settlement and the Cemetery

Summary/Abstract: The island of Kythera occupies an important geographical position in the middle of the Aegean and the Mediterranean crossroads, on the axis north/ south and east/ west. The importance of the island is underlined by the fact that throughout history major powers tried to subjugate and control it. The remains of the ancient capital lie on the south slope of the Paliocastro hill, on the eastern side of the island. The city was surrounded by fortification wall and towers dating from the Archaic period onwards. Excavations conducted at the site in 2010 and 2011 brought to light structural remains of public character as well as burials. A large number of finds indicate that the island was linked to several areas of the Greek mainland, primarily Laconia. This paper discusses how life and death interrelate within the capital of the island of Kythera. Although ancient Greeks had certain ideas about death and, for practical and ideological reasons, they buried their dead beyond the limits of their citadels, the recent investigations on Kythera have brought death closer to life. This paper argues that the discovery of 7th c. BC burials in an area that was later enclosed by the fortification wall has significant implications for the topographical evolution of the city.

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