Part of the Sissi basin – especially its west part – was surveyed in the 1980s by Sylvie Müller for the French School at Athens but remains largely unpublished. The part east of the Selinari river, from the sea to the Selinari gorge and up to the hills that form a barrier towards Milatos, was explored intensively between 2017 and 2019, under the direction of Ophélie Mouthuy and Théo Terrana. A preliminary account of the findings can be found in Sissi V where google coordinates are provided to locate the sites.

(© Sissi Project)

Especially important is the identification of a quarry which was already used in Minoan times (Figure 24), east of the Kalimera Kriti Hotel. This may have been where the ashlar was cut used in the Court Building. During its cleaning, the remains of an individual were found, probably a victim of the World War II operations in the area.

Fig. 24 quarry

Immediately west of the Bouffos beach, on the rocky plateau called Kremasma, earlier explorations had yielded some terracotta figurines (human heads, miniature vases and animal fragments) and this already in 1929 (see A. Dessenne, Têtes minoennes, BCH 73 (1949), 307-315). The area was disturbed by a WW II military installation but a few more, eroded terracotta fragments of human and animal figurines were collected, confirming that Kremasma once carried an open-air sanctuary. No architectural remains at all were identified which suggests the figurines were simply inserted in the rock crevasses. The area has now been levelled for tourist infrastructure.

Other interesting observations were made more inland where primarily sherd material from different Minoan periods was identified, as well as some disturbed tombs. Little post-Minoan occupation exists till the inclusion of the area during Venetian times.