Excavations in the Archaic Civic Buildings at Azoria in 2005-2006

Continuing excavation on the South Acropolis at Azoria in northeastern Crete has exposed buildings of Archaic date (7th–early 5th century b.c.) that served communal or public functions. Work conducted in 2005 and 2006 completed the exploration of Late Archaic levels within the Communal Dining Building (putative andreion complex), the Monumental Civic Building, and the adjacent Service Building. These contexts and their assemblages, especially the animal and plant remains, permit the characterization of diverse dining practices and the interpretation of patterns of food production and consumption. Both the Communal Dining Building and the Monumental Civic Building show extensive evidence of communal feasting and the integration of cult

Excavations on the Kastro at Kavousi: An Architectural Overview

Les résultats des fouilles du Kastro, à Kavousi, menées pendant cinq ans entre 1987 et 1990, puis en 1992, sont publiés dans le présent article qui met l'accent sur l'architecture de ce site, étudiant des bâtiments représentatifs de chaque période chronologique : Minoen Récent IIIC, Protogéométrique, Géométrique Récent et Subgéométrique (ou orientalisant). Ces travaux permettent d'illustrer de façon exceptionnelle la fondation, le développement et l'expansion d'une communauté au début de l'Âge du Fer, de ses origines au Minoen Récent IIIC jusqu'à la fin du 7e siècle av. J.-C

Excavations at Azoria, 2002

This report summarizes the results of the first season of excavation at Azoria in eastern Crete and provides an overview of the project's goals and problem orientation. Work in 2002 concentrated on the peak of the South Acropolis and the occupational phases of the seventh-sixth centuries B.C. The recovery of a possible andreion complex suggests the urban character of the site in the sixth century and forms a starting point for discussing the political economy of the Archaic city. The excavations revealed important evidence for the organization of the sixth-century settlement and for the complex stratigraphic history of the site, including the Final Neolithic, Late Prepalatial, Early Iron Age, Archaic, and Hellenistic periods

Excavation of Archaic Houses at Azoria in 2005-2006

This article reports on the excavation of Archaic houses (6th-early 5th century b.c.) in 2005 and 2006 at Azoria in eastern Crete. Five houses are discussed: four on the South Acropolis on the periphery of the civic center, and one on the North Acropolis. Well-preserved floor deposits provide evidence for room functions and permit a preliminary analysis of domestic space. The houses fill a lacuna in the published record of the 6th and early 5th centuries b.c. and contribute to our understanding of the form of Archaic houses in the Aegean and the integration of domestic space into an urban context

Excavations at Azoria, 2002

This report summarizes the results of the first season of excavation at Azoria in eastern Crete and provides an overview of the project's goals and problem orientation. Work in 2002 concentrated on the peak of the South Acropolis and the occupational phases of the seventh-sixth centuries B.C. The recovery of a possible andreion complex suggests the urban character of the site in the sixth century and forms a starting point for discussing the political economy of the Archaic city. The excavations revealed important evidence for the organization of the sixth-century settlement and for the complex stratigraphic history of the site, including the Final Neolithic, Late Prepalatial, Early Iron Age, Archaic, and Hellenistic periods

Excavations at Azoria, 2003–2004, Part 2: The Final Neolithic, Late Prepalatial, and Early Iron Age Occupation

This article constitutes the second of two reports on fieldwork conducted at Azoria in eastern Crete during the 2003 and 2004 excavation seasons. Evidence of Final Neolithic and Early Iron Age occupation and traces of Late Prepalatial activity were found underlying the Archaic civic buildings on the South Acropolis, particularly along the southwest terrace. The recovery of substantial Final Neolithic architectural and habitation remains contributes to our understanding of the 4th millennium in eastern Crete. Stratigraphic excavations have also clarified the spatial extent of the settlement from Late Minoan IIIC to the Late Geometric period, and brought to light evidence for the transition from the Early Iron Age to the Archaic period, and the transformation of the site in the 7th century B.C

Stylistic Diversity and Diacritical Feasting at Protopalatial Petras: A Preliminary Analysis of the Lakkos Deposit

This paper presents an overview of an assemblage of Middle Minoan (MM) IB pottery from a closed deposit known as the "Lakkos" at the Minoan palace of Petras in eastern Crete. The various ware groups are discussed with the aim of improving our understanding of the Proto-palatial ceramic sequence in this part of Crete and the function of stylistic variation in a palatial context. Recent studies of the earliest palaces have shifted discussion away from the traditional view of the palace as an economic center by emphasizing evidence for regionally diverse sociopolitical configurations during the period. The MM IB-IIB palace is viewed not as a monolithic institution controlling contiguous territories but as a venue for the articulation of dominant ideologies in contexts suggesting a wide range of sociopolitical interactions within and outside the palace. Current approaches consider various forms of data, including elite or distinctly palatial styles of pottery, which are taken as symbolic referents in public rituals. My analysis of the Petras Lakkos pottery is informed by this paradigm shift: I argue that styles of pottery and stylistic relationships between pottery, seals, hieroglyphic documents, and peak sanctuary figurines are related to the visual expression of the identities of competing corporate groups. Drinking sets in different ware groups identify distinct social units or ritual roles in a phase immediately prior to the foundation of the palace