Sacred Spaces: The characterisation of space and practice at the Early Bronze Age cult centre of Dhaskalio-Kavos, Keros, Greece

The ‘special deposits’ recovered during excavations in the 1980s and 2000s at Dhaskalio-Kavos on the island of Keros, Greece, give claim to the site as the world’s earliest maritime sanctuary. The concentration of fragments of EBA Cycladic marble figurines and vessels at Dhaskalio-Kavos are separate from, yet in close proximity to the headland settlement of Dhaskalio, which emphasises the significance of partitioning specific practices at the cult centre. Through the use of high-resolution geochemical survey by way of hand-held portable X-ray fluorescence (HHpXRF), this thesis has sought to understand the character and spatial organisation of activities associated with the EBA cult centre at Dhaskalio-Kavos whilst also aiming to better explore the role that geochemistry can play in archaeological research. A programme of routine analysis of contexts from excavations at Dhaskalio under the auspices of the Keros-Naxos Seaways Project allowed for the detailed chemical characterisation of occupation surfaces across the settlement. This revealed evidence for extensive metalworking of both copper and lead during Dhaskalio Phase A (EC IIA) and Phase B (EC IIB), with the suggestion that this practice continued on a smaller scale during the final phase of occupation (Phase C). The extent of metallurgical practice at Dhaskalio offers an understanding of how the site became a major social centre during the EC II period, and how the changing socioeconomic landscape of the late EC II may explain changes to the spatial distribution of these activities at the site. Furthermore, the intensive application of on-site, in situ soil chemistry within the contexts of excavation facilitated the real-time feedback of soil chemical results to excavators, specialists, and field directors, in order to form part of the ongoing decision-making process and overall interpretation of the site. This use of soil chemistry is not routinely undertaken in archaeological research. Therefore, it is hoped that this thesis may help to establish a methodological best practice for how HHpXRF can be used to better aid archaeological interpretation in the field.