Cave of Wonder: A Sacred Topos of Maritime Identities on Kalymnos

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Social Archaeologies and Islands" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Caves often occupied prominent locations as visible landmarks or as nodal points in exchange networks and mobility routes. The paper discusses coastal sacred caves, which through the transportation of diverse material culture, provided the backdrop where maritime identities were played out. The study investigates the Late Minoan occupation phase of Daskalio Cave on Kalymnos Island to shed light on the use of coastal caves in connection to maritime travel in the prehistoric south-east Aegean. It is proposed that Daskalio Cave, which occupied a nodal position between the insular Aegean and the Anatolian mainland, was visited by maritime travelers. The evidence indicates the performance of ritual activities with clear references to Minoan cultural practices, which were emmeshed with local traditions, as attested by the presence of local pottery wares and shapes. The paper concludes that the coastal location of Daskalio Cave, its access by sea and the presence of imports, may suggest a close connection with maritime travel and seafarers for whom the cave may have marked a sacred landmark or a site of pilgrimage. It is also proposed that coastal caves that occupied liminal spaces, environmentally and symbolically, served as spaces where mobility and cultural exchanges created distinct maritime identities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Social Archaeologies and Islands   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39927.0