Kyparissia Peristeria Archaeological Site

Location: Town

The archaeological site of Peristeria in Kyparissia: The ancient archaeological site of Peristeria is located about 8 kilometers to the northeast of Kyparissia. It is a place of special interest and has been declared as one of the primary centers of the First-Mycenaean Civilization in Greece. The area was first excavated by the famous archaeologist Spiros Marinatos in 1960 and later on by Professor Georgios Korres.

On this archaeological site, there are four vaulted graves built on a hillside as well as the remains of a palace and residences. The tombs with their beehive-shaped burial chambers have a typical circular chamber with a corbelled roof. The vault can be accessed by a stone-lined passage. Rich grave gifts were uncovered beneath the floor of one of the tombs, which points that the tombs were constructed for the local rulers.

Moreover, golden vessels and jewelry from the site dating back to the 16th-15th century BC are exhibited at the Archaeological Museum of Chora, close to Filiatra village. They include small and large bowls with intricate spiral decorations fixed onto small sheets of gold bearing the shapes of leaves, flowers or birds. Some of the designs are so tiny that they can only be seen through a magnifying glass. From the northern side of the archaeological site of Peristeria, there is a lovely path lined with bushes and trees and running alongside crystal-clear waters that leads to an ancient gorge.