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Three decades of survey and excavation have brought to light important settlements of the LM IIIC period in the north isthmus of Ierapetra. Among the significant finds are a range of cult objects such as goddesses with upraised arms, plaques, and snake tubes. The sites of Kavousi, Kephala Vasilikis, and  Chalasmenos, all within a 5 km radius, form a  complex ritual landscape combining domestic activities with shrines. Studies of pottery production in the area are grounded by the presence of two pottery kilns, one excavated at Kavousi Vronda (Day 2012), the other at Chalasmenos (Rupp and Tsipopoulou 2015).

This project by the SCEC and the Geology Dept. of the Univ. of Patras (collaborator: Assoc. Prof. I. Iliopoulos) analyses the pottery and cult objects from the LM IIIC temple complex at Kephala Vasilikis (Eliopoulos 1998) by
applying an integrated approach combining thin section petrography, XRD and SEM. Issues of provenance and technology of manufacture are examined and comparison with data from contemporary sites in the area offers new insights on the production and distribution of pottery at sites on the Isthmus during the LM IIIC period.

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