CHANIA - 2007

Chania. M. Andreadaki-Vlazaki (Director, ΚΕ' ΕΠΚΑ) reports on the 3rd season of excavations within the heart of the old town (Kastelli hill and Splantzia quarter) on the ‘Katré 1’ plot, adjacent to the S walls of the acropolis of anc. Kydonia. Opposite lies the ‘Katré 10’ plot, where J. Papapostolou revealed the Linear A archive in 1973.
Seven more trenches were opened, towards the N and E; the architectural remains revealed again bear witness to the complex stratigraphy created by the site’s long history. Apart from 2 mod. walls, the latest features date to the LRom period; ERom, Hel and Cl vestiges are localized to the S and E, and Ar, EAr and LGeo remains to the N and W. A big pit, containing many fine cups with matt black paint (6th Ct BC), probably for feasting, was dug in the W-central part. In PH times, and immediately afterwards, a large open-air space seems to have occupied the N part: here, an extensive layer of burnt pithos fragments and small stones of the LGeo (L8th BC) was revealed below the Ar and EAr remains.
Below comes a level with LM IIIC pottery, and deeper still one with quantities of shaped stones from well-built constructions, now lying on a floor with numerous animal bones found in situ. Among indisputable local LM IIIB pottery were quite a few LM IB sherds. Here a completely preserved LM IB roundel was found: it carries the Linear A ideogram for cloth on its upper surface and 15 impressions of one seal, depicting 2 couchant lions, on the periphery. Preserved by the conflagration of about 1450 BC, it is similar to examples already found in both the Katré 10 and GSE excavations, albeit having more impressions on its periphery than do the others.
N. Maravelaki has added further pieces of stucco of Hel, Rom and later date to his study concerned with establishing new dating techniques for structural remains.