Palaikastro in CreteKOSTIS S. CHRISTAKIS

An important archaeological site at the north-

east end of CRETE, east of Siteia and north of

Zakros, Palaikastro lies in the coastal plain

of Roussolakkos. Excavations by the British

School of Archaeology began in the early twen-

tieth century and continue to this day. The

settlement was probably established in Early

Minoan IIA, while in Early Minoan IIB

a massive building was constructed below the

later Block X (2900–2300 BCE). The town began

to take shape during the Old Palace period

(1900–1700), when the peak sanctuary of

Petsofas also was founded. The urban center

was destroyed at the end of the Old Palace

period and rebuilt according to awell-designed

plan in Middle Minoan ΙΙΙΒ–Late Minoan ΙΑ(1640–1500).

The New Palace town provides us with the

clearest example of Minoan urban planning,

with wide streets and evenly spaced blocks of

similar size usually comprising two to four

domestic units. The houses are well built with

elaborately defined rooms. No palatial com-

plex has yet been discovered, but this may be

due to limited excavation. Such a rich and

important town as Palaikastro must surely

have had a central administrative complex.

There is evidence of a small destruction by

earthquake at the end of Late Minoan IA,

caused by the THERA eruption (1550–1530),

but most of the houses were rebuilt. The wealth

and quality of the finds prove that the prosper-

ous townsfolk enjoyed high living standards.

The agricultural wealth of the interior and

trade with the east were the main sources of

income. Perhaps the most important find

is the famous Palaikastro Kouros, a gold-and-

ivory statuette of a young man (MacGillivray,

Driessen, and Sackett 2000). This masterpiece

of extraordinary craftsmanship was found in

Building 5, a complex with a public function.

Its materials and proportions indicate Egyptian

cultural influences. It has been suggested that

the Kouroswas the YoungGod, reborn eachyear

to bring the harvest: he was identified with

Diktaean Zeus, the Egyptian OSIRIS, and Orion.

The urban center was destroyed by intense

fire, the result of enemy action, at the end of

Late Minoan IB (1450). Some of the houses

were reoccupied until Late Minoan IIIB

(1300–1200), when the town was gradually

abandoned. The last installation was limited

to the Kastri hill in Late Minoan IIIC

(1200–1100). The Geometric Sanctuary on

the site of Block X shows that the area was

then dedicated to Diktaean Zeus.

SEE ALSO: Diktaean Cave in Crete; Zeus.

REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS

Driessen, J. and Macdonald, C. F. (1997) The

troubled island. Liege.

MacGillivray, J. A. and Driessen, J. M. (1990)

“Minoan settlement at Palaikastro.” In P. Darcque

and R. Treuil, eds., L’Habitat egeen

prehistorique: 395–412. Paris.

MacGillivray, J. A., Driessen, J. M., and Sackett, L. H.

(2000) The Palaikastro Kouros: a Minoan

Chryselephantine statuette and its Aegean Bronze

Age context. London.

The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, First Edition. Edited by Roger S. Bagnall, Kai Brodersen, Craige B. Champion, Andrew Erskine,

and Sabine R. Huebner, print pages 4999–5000.

© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Published 2013 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

DOI: 10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah02142

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