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A 4,000 - year - old circular structure discovered on a brow in Greece may have been used for ancient Minoan rituals , archaeologist report .
Consisting of eight superpose Harlan Fisk Stone hoop with pocket-size walls intersect them to form room , the construction is almost mazy , representatives from the Greek Ministry of Culture said in a translatedstatementreleased Tuesday ( June 11 ) , hinting at the fabled maze work up for King Minos of Crete .
A bird’s-eye view of the 4,000-year-old structure that was recently discovered on a hilltop in Kastelli, Greece.
The unparalleled social structure , which measures 157 feet ( 48 meters ) in diameter , was discovered about 32 miles ( 51 kilometre ) southeastern United States of Heraklion , the cap of Crete , while construction worker were install a surveillance radar system for a young airport . Located on the very top of a mound near the townsfolk of Kastelli , the ancient building seem to have had two main zones : a orbitual building with a diameter of 49 animal foot ( 15 yard ) at the very marrow and an sphere create by the paries radiating out from it .
base on the vogue of clayware fragments discovered during the archeological site , archaeologists have tentatively dated the construction to 2000 to 1700 B.C. , in the middle of the Minoan culture . Between about 3000 and 1100 B.C. , theMinoanscreated one of the first complex European culture on the island of Crete — leaving behind examples of their elaborate pottery , figurine , jewelryand frescoes — but their main save language has never been full deciphered .
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Greece’s minister of culture, Lina Mendoni, examines the ancient structure on Crete.
After their civilizationcollapsed , the Minoans were largely forgotten until archaeologic work in the early 20th century by Sir Arthur Evans , who coin the term " Minoan " after the mythological King Minos . The ancient palaceKnossosis the well known example of Minoan computer architecture , with a fundamental open space flanked by wing of XII of smaller rooms colligate by corridors . Despite generally being call " castle , " though , these massive Minoan structures were primarily areas for local administrative activities rather than imperial residences .
The freshly expose building near Kastelli was similarly improbable to have been used as a manse , according to the assertion from the Ministry of Culture . Rather , the presence of many beast bones among other discovery suggests periodic use of the construction for community - wide-cut ritual banquet that require solid food , wine and other offer .
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The Kastelli structure , however , does not have an accurate analogue with other ancient monumental buildings . Whereas palaces like Knossos were coiffe in a square or orthogonal fashion , the newly detect body structure is circular , a shape found more often in Minoan tomb .
