Acharnes, Crete - 2025

Acharnes – Crete. Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki (Archaeological Society of Athens and Ephorate of Antiquities of Euboea) reports on the continuation of the archaeological research in the Minoan Palace of Acharnes.

The principal focus of the 2025 campaign was a double, oblique wall that enclosed a substantial part of the palace courtyard. (Fig. 1) Its apparently crude construction, using unworked stones, had initially raised questions about its function and relationship to the carefully constructed palace architecture. Archaeological investigation, assisted by specialist geological study, established that the wall served a protective function, helping to guard the palace against natural hazards, particularly a possible landslide from the rock above it. The relatively rough finish of its southern side is explained by the fact that this face was not visible. A second wall was subsequently built against it on the courtyard side, using carefully dressed poro stone comparable to that employed elsewhere in the palace, thereby integrating the protective structure into the architectural and aesthetic appearance of the courtyard.

Above this wall, the excavation exposed the Mycenaean-period deposits characteristic of the palace, containing numerous kylikes, together with finds dating to later historical periods. Among the Hellenistic finds is a trefoil-mouthed oinochoe with two relief heads, dated to the 3rd century BC, as well as a terracotta head apparently attached to another object. (Fig. 2) These remains attest to the continued use and re-use of the palace area after the principal Minoan phases. Important discoveries were also made in the south-eastern sector. In Room 28, an opening was identified connecting the Central Court with the eastern part of the palace. Stone slabs divided the space into two sections, while a large trapezoidal stone bearing mortises had been added above them. These features suggest the former presence of a parapet or balustrade, subsequently destroyed by a Mycenaean-period wall. A natural stone with anthropomorphic characteristics was also recovered from the room. The stone had fallen from an upper floor and may be associated with a “fetish shrine”, comparable to the one known at Knossos. (Fig. 3)