The Neopalatial architectural and ceramic sequence at Malia. New insights from Area Pi
This paper discusses the architectural, stratigraphic and ceramic phasing of the Neopalatial occupation of a sector of Malia, a major Bronze Age settlement located on the northeastern coast of Crete. The exploration of this sector, Area Pi, started in 2005 with the aim of providing a better understa...
Guardat en:
| Publicat a: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/bch, |
|---|---|
| Autors principals: | , , |
| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Idioma: | Anglais |
| Publicat: |
Bulletin de correspondance hellénique
2025
|
| Accés en línia: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Sumari: | This paper discusses the architectural, stratigraphic and ceramic phasing of the Neopalatial occupation of a sector of Malia, a major Bronze Age settlement located on the northeastern coast of Crete. The exploration of this sector, Area Pi, started in 2005 with the aim of providing a better understanding of how the Minoan town developed through the course of the Neopalatial period (ca. 1700–1425 BC). The imprecision of the internal phasing of Malia’s Neopalatial occupation and the poorly defined ceramic sequence have indeed become more apparent in recent years as several seminal works at other Cretan sites have made possible a refined definition of the Middle Minoan (MM) III and Late Minoan (LM) I phases. The outcome of the research programme carried out on building Pi has allowed us to propose a new scenario for the development of the Neopalatial town, as it has identified five stratigraphic phases and provided a new definition of the related ceramic sequence. This article therefore details our present state of knowledge of the Neopalatial occupation of building Pi, from its earliest MM IIIA levels to its abandonment in LM IA and offers a preliminary framework for the nature and chronology of the newly excavated structures and deposits. In particular, we aim to highlight the important evidence for MM III occupation in this area of the town – a particularly unknown period at Malia – and even to suggest the identification of two MM III sub‑phases in the chronology of building Pi. Moreover, most of the Neopalatial material recovered from building Pi comes from several rooms with massive fill deposits datable to LM IA mature, indicating an extensive destructive event at this time. These new results make it possible to reassess the temporality and sequence of the main disruptive events and rebuilding activities that punctuated the Neopalatial history of this major Minoan town. |
|---|