Mysterious 4,000-year old ritual site uncovered as experts left baffled

Earth-removal work on the installation for a new airport in one of Europe’s most popular islands has led to an archaeological discovery that has left experts baffled over its exact significance. 

A huge, 4,000-year-old circular stone building has been discovered on a hilltop during installations for a new airport on the south Aegean island of Crete, and threatens to disrupt the project.

Ringed by eight stepped stone walls over one and a half metres high, the inner structure was split into smaller, interconnecting spaces and may have had a shallow conical roof.

The Greek Culture Ministry said that the structure is a “unique and extremely interesting find” from Crete’s Bronze Age Minoan civilisation, famous for its extravagant palaces, art and writing system. 

Resembling a huge car wheel, the ruins of the building, at around 48 metres in diameter, came to light during a recent dig on the summit of Papoura Hill northwest of the town of Kastelli, by archaeologists. 

However, archaeologists have been left baffled by what the hilltop structure was for. It is still under excavation and has no known Minoan parallels, however it is believed that some of its features were comparable to early Minoan beehive tombs in other parts of Greece.

For now, experts believe it could have been used for a ritual or religious function, involving the “consumption of food, wine and perhaps offerings”, said the Greek Culture Ministry’s statement. 

The Ministry’s statement said it did not appear to have been a house and discoveries inside included a large number of animal bones. 

“Its size, architectural layout and careful construction required considerable labour, specialised know-how and a robust central administration,” it said, adding it was unquestionably a communal building that stood out in the entire area.

They believe that the building was mainly used between 2000-1700 BC and was founded around the time Crete’s first palaces were being built, including at Knossos and Phaistos. 

The site was earmarked for a radar station to serve the new airport under construction near the town of Kastelli. 

Set to open in 2027, the airport is projected to replace Greece’s second largest airstrip at Heraklion. It is designed to handle up to 18 million travellers annually. 

So far, at least 35 other archeological sites have been uncovered during work on the new airport and its road connections, the ministry said. 

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, also an archaeologist, pledged that the find would be preserved and a different location would be sought for the radar station. 

“We all understand the value and importance of cultural heritage… as well as the growth potential” of the new airport project, she said. “It’s possible to go ahead with the airport while granting the antiquities the protection they merit.”