Petsofas

Petsofas (also spelt Petsophas) is an archaeological site in eastern Crete. It was the site of a Minoan peak sanctuary associated with the nearby palatial site of Palaikastro, and was used between the Middle Minoan I period (c. 2000 – c. 1800 BCE) and the Neopalatial period (that is, until shortly after c. 1925 – c. 1900 BCE).

The site consisted of a small enclosure, probably open to the air, in which thousands of clay figurines and burnt offerings were left in the early phase of the site's occupation. Unlike most peak sanctuaries, it continued to be used in the Neopalatial period, when the enclosure was built upon with a two-roomed structure, which seems to have continued to see ritual use on a smaller scale than the previous activity at the site. The figurines include representations of human beings, generally thought to stand for worshippers; sacrificial animals; and human limbs usually thought to be associated with requests for divine healing. In the Neopalatial period, objects deposited at the sanctuary included two libation tables inscribed in Linear A.

John Myres made the first excavations of Petsofas in 1903, making it the first Cretan peak sanctuary to be systematically excavated. Charles Trick Currelly finished the 1903 season, and the site was re-excavated in 1971 by Costas Davaras.