Keros Project, Volume 3. The Marble Finds from Kavos and the Archaeology of Ritual

Abstract

The status of Kavos on Keros as the earliest maritime sanctuary in the world is documented by this volume, which includes the full publication of the marble finds from the Special Deposit South at Keros. These constitute the largest assemblage of Early Cycladic sculptures and vessels ever recovered in a controlled excavation, although they were all found in fragmentary condition. They add significantly to the already substantial corpus of finds from well-documented contexts in the Cycladic islands. They open new possibilities for the study of the production and the use of the rich repertoire of Cycladic artefacts of marble and thus to the understanding of ritual practice in Early Cycladic societies. Also included are chapters offering our concluding assessment of the roles of the settlement on Dhaskalio and of the two Special Deposits at Kavos.