Chania - 1 Katre street - 2007

Chania - 1 Katre street. Maria Andreadaki-Vlazaki (ΚΕ’ EPKA) reports that archaeological investigations commenced in a plot in 1 Katre Street on Kastelli hill of the town of Chania (Fig. 1). During the second excavation season seven new trenches (Ε, ΣΤ, Ζ, Η, Θ, I, ΙΑ) were opened (Fig. 2), which were added to the first four. Apart from the remains of two walls (6 and 7) which belong to a recent building of the 20^th century (trenches Η-Ι), the upper remains were uncovered in trench Ζ and comprise part of a wall (8) and of two earthen floors (7 and 13), dating to late antiquity. The remains of three walls (1, 5, 15) and of a floor (14) in trenches Γ-Ζ, of a wall (9) and of a floor (15) in trenches Η-Ι as well as of a wall (3) and of two floors (4, 8) in trenches Ε-Δ belong to the precedent imperial centuries. The lower Hellenistic and Classical layers are concentrated in the S and E part of the plot: Four walls (2, 12, 14, 16) and a floor (11) in trenches Γ-Ζ and a wall (17) in trench I. 

Archaic and Geometric layers came to light in the N part of the plot. Walls 13, 10 and 11 as well as the earthen floor 9 in trenches ΙΑ, Ε, and Θ are probably dating to the Archaic and Early Archaic Period, along with a pit (ΙΣΤ), which was contained fine ware monochrome cups of the 6^th c. BC, potentially used during symposia  (Fig. 3). 

An extended outdoor space seems to have occupied the N part of the plot during the Prehistoric and Protohistoric period. In this area, under the Archaic remains and on top of an earthen floor 16, part of a layer of pithoi fragments and small stones, was discovered, dating to the Late Geometric period (end of 8^th c. BC) (Fig. 4,5). Many small fragments of a bronze vessel were found in situ on top of floor 16. 

Underneath floor 16, layer 5 is dated to the LM IIIC phase (12^th c. BC) and even deeper, layer 6 contained plenty of worked stones and paving stones,  deriving from a luxuriously constructed building, which were found collapsed on the floor of the large outdoor space (Fig. 6). A considerable amount of animal bones was collected above floor 17, which consists of a layer of soil with small pebbles (Fig. 7). Among the undoubtedly LM IIIB pottery (shards form vessels of the “Kydonia workshop”) LΜ ΙΒ pottery was identified as well. Inside the deposits an intact, clay inscribed disc of the Archive of the LM ΙΒ settlement was found (Fig. 8). On the top surface the garment ideogram is inscribed in Linear A, while on its circumference a seal depicting two seated lions is illustrated 15 times. A large amount of collected pottery and small finds, were catalogued. 

[Entry created by K. Christakis and translated by C. Koureta]