Chiara De Gregorio (HGGS-DAAD, Institute of Classical And Byzantine Archaeology): “The Ayia Triada Necropolis in EMIII-MMI and the Connections with the Neighboring Area".

The Ayia Triada necropolis is located ca. 3 km west of the Palace of Phaistos and has been occupied from the Early Minoan until the Late Minoan times, with traces of later use. My dissertation focuses on studying and publishing the finds of the excavations undertaken in the Late Prepalatial necropolis: the so-called area of the Camerette. It comprises two blocks of small-sized quadrangular rooms (the Camerette 1-10, the rooms a-c), a paved area and a possible wall with baetyls, which are located 7 meters south of tholos A and its annexes. Therefore, I have examined the excavations’ documents and the architectural context and carried out the typological and comparative analysis of the pottery uncovered during the excavations of the Italian Archaeological School at Athens between 1997 and 1999 and by the Italian Mission in Crete in 1904. Up to now, this study has documented different phases of exploitation of the area during the Late Prepalatial period and the beginning of the Middle Minoan IB (2300/2200-1850 BC). At the same time, the pottery assemblages have mostly been connected to activities of communal sharing of beverages and food by a considerable number of people. Thus, the ultimate purpose of this research project is to define the chronological sequence of events in the area of the Camerette and the functions of this space over time, as well as the community connected to it. The comparison with the neighbouring areas and the broader Cretan context contributes to final historical synthesis.