Aspri Petra Cave

When the Italians Alessandro Della Setta and Doro Levi (from the Italian Archaeological School of Athens) conducted excavations in the cave of Aspri Petra (i.e White Rock) on Mount Zini in Kefalos, at the western end of the island, in June 1922, they might not have suspected the value of what they would find. This excavation brought to light, among other things, fragments of Neolithic clay vessels, elliptical millstones, a hearth with many pieces of pottery, an incised clay vessel, obsidian blades and cores, ornamental objects, and food remains. The shapes and sizes of the vessels found varied, with the type of rounded arched handles being predominant, while weapons were rare, consisting of a few blades and sharp obsidian stone cores (volcanic rock), which we know originated from the island of Gyali near Nisyros, as well as ornamental objects. Finally, the food remains found in the cave revealed a people devoted to animal herding.