Definition: Mochlos is an island located off the north shore of Crete, with important Greek Bronze Age occupations, including Pre-Palatial through Neo-Palatial Minoan (3100-1425 BC), and Mycenaean (1400-1200 BC) occupations. Archaeological studies have also identified extensive Late Hellenistic (1st century BC) and Early Byzantine (600-827 AD)forts as well.
The first settlements on Mochlos were in the early Minoan Pre-Palatial period, and consisted at first of a handful of isolated farmsteads and a few tombs. By the end of the period, Mochlos was an important center of Cretan society, with manufactured industries of gold jewelry, faience, and stone vases and an important trade port. The Pre-Palatial cemetery at Mochlos contains more built tombs than any other cemetery in Crete.
Archaeologists associated with Mochlos include Richard Seager, Nicholas Platon, C. Davaros, and most recently Jeffrey Soles.
The first settlements on Mochlos were in the early Minoan Pre-Palatial period, and consisted at first of a handful of isolated farmsteads and a few tombs. By the end of the period, Mochlos was an important center of Cretan society, with manufactured industries of gold jewelry, faience, and stone vases and an important trade port. The Pre-Palatial cemetery at Mochlos contains more built tombs than any other cemetery in Crete.
Archaeologists associated with Mochlos include Richard Seager, Nicholas Platon, C. Davaros, and most recently Jeffrey Soles.
Sources
Wonderfully detailed information is available at the home page of the Mochlos Archaeological Project, from Jeffrey Soles and students at University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
For a broader view of Minoan history and archaeology, visit Dartmouth University's pages on Prehistoric Archaeology of the Aegean.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
