Located between kilns of MM IB and LM IA date, this trench covers a
similar geological fault as Trench II in that the underlying
topography changes from high bedrock with shallow soils to deep
soils overlying a dip in the bedrock. This area was however heavily
disturbed by coastal erosion, so many strata have been heavily
disturbed or completely eroded away. Occupation here begins with an
apsidal wall of Early Minoan II date, with a hiatus in settlement
until MM II, currently represented by a levelling deposit. By MM
III, activity in this location has a domestic character, though
during this same phase it appears that the substantial paved area
covering half of this trench was constructed. The paved area is well
constructed and designed for a good deal of traffic, suggesting that
it is part of a path / roadway. A close parallel in terms of
construction technique is the road incorporating the West Court at
nearby Gournia, and it remains possible that this was limiting the
core area of that part of the MM / LM settlement located on
Priniatikos Pyrgos. A terrace forming the foundation of a LM IA
structure indicates that space was at a premium in this area of the
site (as it incorporates a large outcrop of bedrock), suggesting
that this area of the site was densely occupied.
An early Classical road is truncated by late
Classical pit digging, which is in turn surmounted by two – three
phases of Hellenistic domestic habitation, awaiting further study. A
likely example of a Hellenistic glass vessel represents our earliest
find of this material at Priniatikos Pyrgos. The final phase of
settlement is the heavily disturbed remains of a Late Roman / Early
Byzantine structure and associated collapse / destruction deposit.
