The Priniatikos Pyrgos Research Project
Priniatikos Pyrgos was a highly successful
settlement, and that is what makes it both rare and interesting
in the archaeology of Crete. The rapid rise and fall of a settlement
leaves a veritable snapshot in time preserved for the archaeologist
to expose. But what if we wish to unravel the complex story
of the entire life and times of a settlement? This is the challenge
we have set ourselves at Priniatikos Pyrgos, we want to watch
the whole movie, not just the freeze-frames from a favourite
moment!
Ever since the first widespread settlement of
the island over 5000 years ago in the Final Neolithic people
kept coming back to this specific place and sought to exploit
its coastal location and topographical qualities. The biography
of the island is laid out at Priniatikos Pyrgos with Bronze
Age, Iron Age, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian period occupation
covering this limestone headland. To focus our enquiries, we
have established
research questions and strategies that take full advantage
of this unique window into the exploitation of a specific space
in relation to its setting in an ever changing landscape.
The longevity of settlement indicates the importance of
the site to us, as researchers, but how important did people
consider this site when they chose to make use of it? In brief,
we can say that it was usually part of the main settlement of
this region, though it was never on a scale to compare with
the greatest palaces or poleis of Crete. This is one of the
greatest virtues of the site, as we have the opportunity to
look beyond the elites and grandiose architecture to the world
of the common inhabitants of the island.
We are investigating
the functions and importance of this site in relation to exchange
networks, settlement systems, agriculture, industry and religion.
The varying fortunes of this site through time thus provide
an exciting window into human interactions within ever-changing
land and sea-scapes, natural resource management, environmental
and climatic change and political fortunes.
Learn more
Topography - the Site and the Sea
History of Research
The A, G and H areas 2005 - 2006
Trench II
Trench III
Trench IV
Finds
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FEATURES
Current News:
View our reports online
Co-Director Barry
Molloy will run the Athens Marathon 2010 to raise money for
Priniatikos Pyrgos. More HERE
What are our
Research Questions at PP?
Support funding
provided for sixth consecutive year by the Institute of Aegean
Prehistory.
Visit our
Excavation Page to learn
more about how we conduct our work
To view
our detailed excavation guidelines and documentation used, visit
our manual and documents page
Trenches II and III to be targeted in 2010
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