The Μαύρα Βλιχάδια Quarry

First identified by Jan Driessen during prospective works in the 1990s, a sandstone quarry was rediscovered during the survey of the Sissi plain in 2017 and 2019 (see § 8.2). It is located on the coast in a locality called Μαύρα Βλιχάδια at the eastern end of the Sissi plain, set immediately on the shore and at the foot of the ridge that separates it from the Milatos plain. The quarry was cleaned over several days in the summer of 2019. Bushes were cut and superficial, topsoil, layers were removed to evaluate the extent of the quarry, to make the extraction channels and other possible features related to extraction techniques visible, and to provide a first, even preliminary idea of the dating of the quarry in anticipation for possible future works in this area. This quick and superficial cleaning operation indicated the importance of the quarry as a procurement source for ashlar blocks in the Minoan period already.