Faltering Complexity? The Context and Character of Settlement at Priniatikos Pyrgos in Early Minoan III-Middle Minoan IA East Crete

by Barry Molloy, Matěj Pavlacký, Jo Day, Eleni Nodarou, Marina Milić, Sue Bridgford, and David Breeckner

Hesperia, Volume 89, Issue 2
Page(s): 215-280
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2972/hesperia.89.2.0215
Year: 2020
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ABSTRACT:

This study presents the preliminary results of new excavations of Early Minoan III-Middle Minoan IA horizons at Priniatikos Pyrgos in East Crete. It argues that there is cumulative growth at this central settlement throughout the Early Minoan and earliest Middle Minoan phases that is mirrored in the surrounding settled landscape, but that this changed dramatically during the latter phase with declining prosperity at the site. To explore this, the character of occupation and craft traditions at Priniatikos Pyrgos are evaluated. It is concluded that the autonomy of this settlement as a local center was interrupted during Middle Minoan IB-II, reflecting a shift in power and governance.