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The Palace of Malia is situated on the North coast of Crete, East of Heraklion. To the south lie the Lasithi mountains. At 7,500 square metres, it is the third largest of the Minoan palaces. The Minoan name for the Palace is not known and it takes its name from a local town. The first habitation in the area probably dates from EM II and there is evidence to be found all over the palace site and in the town to the north. The town itself probably was not founded until EM III or MM IA.
The first palace to be constructed on the site was built around 1900 BCE. Little is known of this palace though some finds from the Old Palace period attest to the wealth of the Old Palace at Malia. This palace was later destroyed, probably by an earthquake.
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The second palace, the ruins of which we see today, was built about 1650 BCE and is similar to the old one. The second palace was destroyed around 1450 BCE, along with the other Minoan sites in Crete. The various functions of a palace -- religious, political, economic -- are all in evidence here.
The first attempt to excavate the site was made in 1915 by Joseph Hadzidakis but the full excavation of the Palace and much of the surrounding town was conducted by the French Archaeological School under F. Chapouthier and are still continuing today. Like the other palaces Malia has a west court. The west wing of the Palace, which probably had two storeys, contained magazines, cult rooms and official apartments.
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To the east is the Central Court, which existed at the time of the Old Palace. This central court is oriented north-south and the main entrance to the court would have been from the north. The central court measures 48 metres by 23 metres. The north and west sides of the Central Court were lined by porticoes, a common feature in Minoan Palace architecture. Often the pillars would be alternately wood and stone, a feature also to be seen at the Knossos palace.
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In the middle of the central court there is an unusual altar which was built in the New Palace period. Inside the sunken area are four supports. Although altars are common enough features of the Palaces and even of palace-like buildings such as the country house at Makriyialos on the south coast, this particular feature is unique to the Malia palace.
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To the east of the Central Court are the East Magazines, well-preserved and covered for protection. The six magazines each consist of a raised area where the pithoi would have been placed, and in the middle of each magazine there is a channel which ends with a hole in the ground. It has been argued that these channels and holes were for collecting any liquids -- wine, olive oil or whatever -- that got spilled.
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Opposite the magazines on the north side of the wing was a large building, in the middle of which was the "Loggia". This building was entered from the Central Court up four steps. It is assumed that religious rites took place here which would have been visible from the central court. Behind the Loggia, and linked to it by a stairway, was the Treasure Room. Other rooms in this part of the Palace included a lustral basin and an assembly room.
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To the south of the Loggia is the grand staircase. which originally led to a first floor room. To the left of the grand staircase, steps led south into the corridor which led to the Main Hall, an area used for religious purposes, which stood exactly opposite the Central Court altar. Again the Malia palace follows the traditional design of the palaces, since at Knossos the west side of the central court contained buildings with a religious function, including a tripartite shrine.
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The pillar crypt is entered from the Main Hall, and two large pillars can still be seen in the rooom, one of which has the engraving of a double axe on it. Pillar crypts exist in other palaces and in other buildings as well and their use is assumed to be religious. This view has been challenged but in many of the pillar crypts the room is far too small to need a central pillar to support the roof. An alternative explanation therefore has to be sought for the existence of these pillars in so many Minoan buildings. To the west of this area ran a long corridor, onto which opened a large number of magazines or storerooms. Once again the traditional design of the Minoan Palace is maintained.
The south wing of the Palace actually had an independent apartment which was entered from outside the palace, to the south. Within the apartment there was a small shrine room with a bench and various ritual objects were found here. In common with the Palace of Zakros, the south wing of the Malia palace had various workrooms on the ground floor. Between this wing and the east wing was the south-east entrance to the palace, a passage which led directly into the Central Court.
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Outside the south-west corner of the palace, there are two rows of four large pits, each of which contained a central pillar. In each row, the pits are so close that they touch each other.
Similar structures, called "kouloures", were found at Knossos in a similar position. Although these were originally considered to have been water cisterns, given the problems of supplying the Palaces with water in a climate like that of Crete, it is now thought that they were used for the storage of grain. It is possible that their location on the west of the palace may have been linked to religious ceremonies since these are known to have been carried out in the West Court of Knossos.
The kernos is located to the south of the central court, near the south entrance to the palace. It is so named because it resembles a kernos from the classical period. Offerings to the gods, especially of seeds and smaller grown objects were placed in the small holes of the kernos. The Minoan Kernos is a large, round stone into which 34 shallow holes have been incised around the rim of the top. One of these holes is larger than the others and another has been placed in the centre of the stone.
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A portico formed the north side of the central court, but unlike the east portico, this one only had columns. The bases were of stone but the columns themselves were of wood and were tapered so that they were wider at the top than at the bottom. Behind the portico was a large "Hypostyle Hall" with six piers in two asymmetrical rows, of which only the bases survive. It is not known for certain what this hall was used for. One view is that on the first floor of this room, which was the largest in the palace, there was a ceremonial or banqueting hall, which was reached by a double stairway on the right.
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On the west side of the hall there was access via a corridor to the North Court. The north-west corner of the palace was originally considered to be the royal apartments, In this area, Linear A tablets were found. Here, there is also a lustral basin with a large anteroom. Once considered to be bathrooms, these are now thought to have had a religious function. Apart from anything else, in the Palaces where underground drainage systems have been found, these are not linked to the lustral basins. This would suggest that they were not filled with water. Moreover they tend not to be very private areas, which again suggests a public ritual function for the basins.
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The North Entrance, which was probably the main entrance to the palace, was at the end of the North Court. A "Processional Way" led to the city market, surrounded by various buildings. North west of the palace is the "Hypostyle Crypt", whose exact use remains unknown.
Further north parts of the town have been excavated and although intriguing views of these covered areas can be seen from the road leading to the beach, the area remains closed to the public. The town contains various quarters, which date from different periods.
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The earliest houses (EM III to MM I and MM I to MM II) are simple structures, except for Quartier Mu, which seems to have had an administrative function. It also contains the oldest lustral basin found in Crete. It was not until Middle Minoan III and Late Minoan I that large buildings began to appear in the town.
The cemeteries are located to the north of the palace by the sea and the cemetery of Chrysolakkos was in use from EM II onwards. It exhibits the earliest known use of ashlar masonry in Crete and inside it is divided into rooms. One of the most exquisite of all Minoan finds was uncovered here -- the gold bee pendant, showing two bees holding a berried fruit or honey cake.