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The campaign at Petras and the bay of Siteia

• Τσιποπούλου, Μεταξία

Systematic excavation began at Petras, the Minoan settlement of Siteia in East Crete, in 1985. It formed part of an overall research of Minoan habitation in the area of the Gulf of Siteia, from the town to Moni Toplou. This article is a preliminary report of the results of our work in 1988.Excavation at PetrasThe following sectors were excavated: 1) A rectangular Neopalatial builling on the northeast edge of the extensive terrace on the top of the hill, which had been excavated in 1987. A trench was cut beneath the floor of the building and the method of construction of the retaining wall was ascertained. 2) The tower-like projection on the northeast edge of the retaining wall bounding the terrace on the top of the hill was cleaned. 3) Part of the paved Neopalatial road on the west side of the hill. 4) An area to the west of the Neopalatial House 1: the upper part of a wall was uncovered, 1.20 m wide, which appears to have closed off the house on the west. 5) The top of the hill: part of a wall, probably retaining, was cleaned. 6) The area of the wall: part of a Neopalatial house was uncovered west of the wall; its plaster-lined cistern was preserved. The writer thinks it very probable that the motive for the construction of the wall was defensive combined with a conscious attempt to create a monumental impression. 7) West magazines: in 1988, on the northwest edge of the great terrace on the top of the hill, excavation began of a series of four magazines that obviously belonged to an important building, similar to the so-called "palace" at Gournia. The architecture of the area presents many palatial features. Particularly interesting was a mason’s mark (double-axe). 8 large pithoi were found in the magazines. Other magazines certainly exist on both the north and the south. 8) 2nd terrace: 3 m. higher up than the extended terrace on the top of the hill there is a second, smaller one, which was also excavated in 1988. Parts of Neopalatial houses were uncovered.Pottery: Two sorts of local clay were used at Petras: one yellowish and relatively fine (Petras Clay), and another, redbrown in colour and very coarse (Ayia Photia Clay). Petrological analyses are being carried out by P. M. Day at Cambridge University and at the Fitch Laboratory of the British School at Athens. Already imports have been recognized from Palaikastro, Gournia and Central Crete, as well as from the Cyclades, the Dodecanese and Cyprus.Geological survey. With the collaboration of Professor M. Dermitzakis of Athens University three drill cores were taken in order to locate the ancient shoreline and the limits of the Minoan harbour, in the valley west of the hill. It was found that in the LM I period the sea reached some 2 km south of the present beach to the locality of Klimataria, where a villa was excavated by Professor N. Platon.AnaloukasThe district is ca. 7 km east of the town of Siteia. There are 4 Neopalatial sites and one Roman. In 1988 we were able to plan the arcnitectural remains of a small coastal settlement.StavrosThe place is on the east side of the bay, ca. 12 km from the town. In the course of a surface survey anotner Neopalatial site was discovered there.Siteia AirportAnother Neopalatial site was discovered during a surface survey.The completion of five years from the beginning of our survey of prehistoric habitation around the bay of Siteia gives us the opportunity to express some preliminary thoughts about the settlement pattern in the area during the Neopalatial period. It is a piece of good fortune that other scientific, and in fact joint scientific teams have been working in east Crete in recent years. It seems that there were integrated groups of sites functioning in a similar manner in districts that were relatively isolated from each other. These groups comprised a settilement-town-harbour, other smaller settlements or stations at strategic points, one or more peak sanctuaries, a villa or villas and isolated farmhouses to make better use on the spot of the agricultural resources of the area. This picture is very clear in the bay of Siteia, where Petras was the central settlement, and there was a second smaller one in the bay of Analoukas, a peak sanctuary at Piskokephalo, two villas at Klimataria and Zou, two stations at strategic points, namely one each at the entrance and exit of the bay and at the airport and on the headland of Stavros, respectively, and lastly there were isolated farmhouses both in the plain of Ayia Photia and at the site of Aspropyrga, the source of the yellowish clay, and at Analoukas (site 3), which appears to have controlled the road to Palaiokastro.A similar picture must be apparent in the gulf of Mirabello in the region on Manos-Pa- laikastro, as well as south of the eparchy of Siteia on the coast of the Libyan sea (district of Makriyalos - Diskario - Kalo Nero).There are undoubtedly individual differences between these groups of sites, but they could be due to the tocal conditions. In any case evidence is beginning to show that relations existed, probably on an equal rooting, between the groups. If however there was also some dependence — loose or not — on the palace at Zakro or the other palaces on the island, this remains to be demonstrated in the continuation of the research.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία
• Ανασκαφές (Αρχαιολογία)

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