Main hall of the palace

Agia Triada is situated a couple of kilometres from Phaistos on the west slope of a hill 30-40 metres above sea level and the excavated area measures 135 by 135 metres. A significant settlement on the site now known as Agia Triada existed in the Early Bronze Age, EM I. Further evidence of early settlement are the two Early Minoan tholos tombs together with their funerary rooms. Agia Triada was inhabited throughout the Middle Minoan period, but it is still not known how important the settlement was at that time. It is likely that the settled area was as large as it was to be in later times, though there is no evidence for grand buildings on the scale of the so-called Little Palace or Royal Villa that was built in the Neopalatial period.

Magazines and worshops

The Little Palace or Royal Villa was built at the end of the Middle Minoan period, after the earthquakes that destroyed the old palaces and its existence has been explained by some as a "Summer Palace" for the "King" of Phaistos. Others have argued that Agia Triada was the seat of a local chief. Like Phaistos, and unlike the northern palaces, gypsum dadoes were prefered to fresco decoration and light wells were located at the centre of long rooms rather than at one end. The Palace was not on the scale of Knossos or Phaistos, but it nevertheless contained apartments, light wells, shrines, magazines, workshops, staircases, porticos, courts etc. The Villa was destroyed by fire at the end of Late Minoan IB and fortunately was not looted.

Steps up to the court of
shrines from the north wing
of the palace

The numerous important finds at the site include Linear A tablets and clay sealings, indicative of a local bureaucracy, as well as wall paintings and stone-carved vases, of which the most famous are the Chieftain's Cup, the Boxer vase (a rhyton with scenes of boxing, wresting and bull-leaping), both carved in steatite, and the Harvester vase, also a rhyton. The famous sarcophagus, showing funerary rites being conducted, was found nearby in a Minoan cemetery dating from the same period as the Palace.

The finds and the architecture at Ayia Triada suggest that the Villa performed the same functions as the Palaces. The very large number of storerooms in relation to the total size of the Villa, together with the presence of Linear A tablets and clay sealings suggest that the building was used mainly for storing produce and keeping records of its existence. This poses enormous questions about social organisation in this period of Minoan history. Were these buildings in fact palaces at all? Evans named them as such, but ever since voices have been raised in opposition to that label. It has been pointed out on numerous occasions that many of these so-called palaces seem unlikely seats of royal power, given the often poor location of the rooms which have been described as Royal Apartments. Others prefer to see them not as palaces, but as temples which played a major role in the distribution of food and other produce among the local population.

Steps up to the court of shrines from the
north wing of the palace

What is interesting about Agia Triada is that in the Neopalatial period the finds were much richer here than at Phaistos, whereas in the Middle Minoan period the finds were richer at Phaistos and poorer at Agia Triada. It would seem that although Phaistos continued to be a major palace throughout the neopalatial period, Agia Triada grew in importance and was more densely and consistently populated than Phaistos was.

Archive of sealings

The palace forms the shape of an irregular L around the two sides of a paved court which was named by the Italian excavators the "Court of the Shrines", and the most important part of the building is located where the two parts of the L join. It is here that the main hall, the rooms with benches and the archive of sealings are to be found. The southern end was probably the servants' quarters while the long light well was to the east.

North of the palace lies the town, and north-east of the town is a burial site. In what remains of the town, the long, narrow square contained eight shops along the east side and dates from the Postpalatial period. The houses to the west of the market date from two distinct periods. The lower ones are contemporary with the palace and date from the Neopalatial period (1600-1400 BCE), whereas the others are contemporary with the market and date from the Postpalatial period, (1400-1100 BCE).

The market place in the Minoan town with
the eight shops on the right

The remains of the drainage system which existed both in the palace and the town can still be seen today on the north side of the north wing of the palace.

Two large buildings were later erected on top of the ruins of the north wing of the palace, and these date from the same period as the market. The larger of the two, in the centre of the north wing, is a megaron of Mycenaean type, and it is believed to have been the residence of the Achaean ruler of the region. The second building, to the east of the first, may have been a shrine.

Ayia Triada is generally a very quiet site and since it is only about three kilometres from Phaistos, it is well worth spending some time there.