Definition: Kommos was a major Minoan harbor located on the southern shore of Crete near the center of the island. The site's history spans Minoan history (ca 1800-1200 BC), with a post-Minoan Greek occupation into the early Roman period, when it was abandoned ca. 200 AD.
Architectural components at Kommos include residences, palaces, a large pottery kilns and shrines, as well as structures associated with shipping industry, such as Building P, an enormous storage shed facing the harbor and built during the Post-Palatial period. A Greek sanctuary, built ca 375 BC and used through about AD 50, stands on the ruins of the Minoan town.
Kommos was first investigated in 1924 by Arthur Evans. Excavations have been conducted at the site by the University of Toronto since 1979.
Architectural components at Kommos include residences, palaces, a large pottery kilns and shrines, as well as structures associated with shipping industry, such as Building P, an enormous storage shed facing the harbor and built during the Post-Palatial period. A Greek sanctuary, built ca 375 BC and used through about AD 50, stands on the ruins of the Minoan town.
Kommos was first investigated in 1924 by Arthur Evans. Excavations have been conducted at the site by the University of Toronto since 1979.
Source
Lots of detail about the excavation and the findings at Kommos, including photographs and a long tasty essay on the ceramic assemblage, can be discovered at the Kommos website from the University of Toronto.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
