Site details

Phaistos

PK	C5298
TITLE	Phaistos
WGS84	35.051453° N, 24.814212° E
Accuracy	Exact

LAT/LON	35.051453, 24.814212
LON/LAT	24.814212, 35.051453

DMS

35° 3' 5.2308" N

24° 48' 51.1632" E

W3W	spilling, derails, highlights
UTM	35 S, 300652, 3880933
EGSA87	574104, 3878763

Elevation m	98
Elevation feet	321.5
Region	Crete
Subregion	Pyrgiotissa

GENERAL SITE TYPE Palace

TYPE

1.    hab.   AR[1958], 17    In the north-west angle of the Minoan palace area: 'Traces were found here of houses which appear to belong to the third and last phase of the 'First (Middle Minoan) Palace.'
2.    Pottery.   Kanta [1980], 96    '...the interim occupation between the end of the palace and the III C settlement was once thought to be relatively unimportant ... This view has been rendered invalid by D. Levi's publication of an LM III A 1 group from houses at Khalara ...'
3.    Pottery.   Nowicki [2014], 195    The vast majority of the published material from Faistos represents highly burnished pottery: ... '', 'The LN pottery tradition continued in that period, but with many new characteristics, ... '
4.    Settlement.   Nowicki [2014], 195    'This is the largest FN hilltop settlement so far identified and excavated in Crete, ... '

SITE SIZE

- Nowicki [2014]  p. 195,  Size: 20000 sq. m.  'Watrous reconstructs the size of the FN settlement at about 20,000 m2, ... '

PERIOD (High Chronology)

1. Final Neolithic: (3600 - 2800)
    a.    Nowicki [2014]: 195, ' ... the largest FN hilltop settlement so far identified and excavated in Crete, ... '

2. Final Neolithic I: (3600 - 3200)
    a.    Nowicki [2014]: 195, 'The foundation of the site is dated to the FN I.', 'According to Todaro and Di Tonto the site was founded at the beginning of FN I ... '

3. Final Neolithic II: (3200 - 2800)
    a.    Nowicki [2014]: 195, 'A single "cheese pot" and pedestal vases with pierced holes in the foot139 sit well in the FN II tradition ... '

4. Early Minoan I: (3100 BC - 2650 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'EM I - II Buildings inside peristyle 74, ... '

5. Early Minoan II: (2650 BC - 2200 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'EM I - II Buildings inside peristyle 74, ... '

6. Middle Minoan: (2100 BC - 1675 BC)
    a.    AR[1958]: 17, '...(Middle Minoan) ...'

7. Middle Minoan IA: (2100 BC - 1900 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'MM IA Chance finds of pottery; ... '

8. Middle Minoan IB: (1900 BC - 1850 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'MMIB - IIB Old Palace (with Levi's three principal building phases: ... '
    b.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'MM IB Destruction (Levi's phase Ia).'

9. Middle Minoan IIA: (1850 BC - 1775 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'MMIB - IIB Old Palace (with Levi's three principal building phases: ... '
    b.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'MM IIA Partial rebuilding (Levi's phase Ib).'

10. Middle Minoan IIB: (1775 BC - 1750 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'MMIB - IIB Old Palace (with Levi's three principal building phases: ... '
    b.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'MM IIB Partial rebuilding and destruction (Levi's phases II - III).'

11. Middle Minoan IIIA: (1750 BC - 1700 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'MM IIIA House to south of the ramp ... '

12. Late Helladic: (1700 BC - 1050 BC)
    a.    Kanta [1980]: 97, 'Mycenaean remains have been found to the south of the Minoan Ramp and to the west of court no. 1...'

13. Late Minoan IA: (1675 BC - 1625 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'LM IA(?) - IB Central court still in use but west colonnade covered.'

14. Late Minoan IB: (1625 BC - 1470 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'LM IA(?) - IB Central court still in use but west colonnade covered.'

15. Late Minoan II: (1470 BC - 1420 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'LM II Chance finds of pottery.'

16. Late Minoan IIIA1: (1420 BC - 1390 BC)
    a.    Kanta [1980]: 97, Mycenaean cup illustrated in D. Levi [1965-6]. 'The vase has a rather early character and should be dated to LM III A 1.'
    b.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'LM IIIAI Buildings in Chalara; tombs at Kalyvia.'

17. Late Minoan IIIA2: (1390 BC - 1330 BC)
    a.    Kanta [1980]: 96, 'The old material seems to range in date from late LM III A 2 to LM III C.'

18. Late Minoan IIIB: (1330 BC - 1200 BC)
    a.    Kanta [1980]: 96, 'The old material seems to range in date from late LM III A 2 to LM III C.'
    b.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'LM IIIB - IIIC Buildings west of Theater Court ... '

19. Late Minoan IIIC: (1200 BC - 1075 BC)
    a.    Kanta [1980]: 96, 'The old material seems to range in date from late LM III A 2 to LM III C.'
    b.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'LM IIIB - IIIC Buildings west of Theater Court ... '
    c.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'LM IIIC (SM) Liliana cenetery (eight tombs). ...'

20. Protogeometric: (1100 BC - 900 BC)
    a.    AR[1958]: 16, 'Substantial traces of Protogeometric settlement, ..., were found near the south-west angle of the Minoan palace.'
    b.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'PG - G Settlement to the west and southwest of palace, with paved north-south ramp. '

21. Subminoan: (1060 BC - 900 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'LM IIIC (SM) Liliana cenetery (eight tombs). ...'

22. Geometric: (900 BC - 700 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'PG - G Settlement to the west and southwest of palace, with paved north-south ramp. '

23. Archaic: (700 BC - 480 BC)
    a.    Myers et al. [1992]: 240, 'A Chance finds and probable sacred buildings in area of palace; ...'

NOTE

1. Additional bibliography: D. Levi, 'L'abitato di Festos in localita Chalara' in Annuario (37-8), 55-166, 1967-8; also D. Levi 'La conclusione degli scavi a Festos', Annuario (27-28) 313-399, 1965.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. AR[1958]: Archaeological Reports, The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. (5) 1958., 'Phaistos', pg. 16. Online here.

2. Kanta [1980]: Kanta, Athanasia. The Late Minoan III Period in Crete; A Survey of Sites, Pottery and their Distribution. Paul Åströms Förlag, Göteborg. Sweden. 1980., '1. Phaestos', pg. 96. Extensive remarks here (96) on the LM III activity at Phaestos.

3. Myers et al. [1992]: Myers, J. Wilson and Eleanor Emlen Myers, Gerald Cadogan. The Aerial Atlas of Ancient Crete. University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles. United States of America. 1992., '33 Phaistos', pg. 232.

4. Nowicki [2014]: Nowicki, Krzysztof. Final Neolithic Crete and the Southeast Aegean. De Gruyter, United States, 2014., '122 Faistos', pg. 195. Online here.