Agia Triada

It is one of the most important archaeological sites of Crete, located 3 km. west of Phaestos palace, central Crete. The distance from Heraklion is 66 km. The excavations are conducted by the Italian School of Archaeology, from the early 20th c. till nowadays.

The name Agia Triada, was given by the Medieval abandoned and in ruins now village, which existed on the left bank of Geropotamos river. According to Venetian documentation of 1583, there were 150 inhabitants in the village. Today there is not much left to see, except from the village ruins and the churches of Agia Triada and Agios Georgios.

The ancient site is located between Phaestos palace and the Libyan sea, was discovered in the early 20th c. by the Italian archeologist Luigi Pernier. The Minoan mansion was built around 1550 BC and destroyed possibly by fire around 1450 BC. Apparently it was used as a summer residence of Phaestos royalty, although it could very well be their permanent residence after the destruction of Phaestos palace.

Into the next period, Mycenaean, there was a large ‘Megaron’ type building that was built on top, while later on in the 5th c. B.C the site is out of use with the exception of a temple to Zeus Velchanos. Some of the top quality artifacts were found there such as: The famous sarcophagus of Ayia Triada, fully decorated with frescoes depicting rituals, sacrifices of animals, cults and practices for the dead and offerings. The clay figurine of a sacred ecstatic swinging woman, stone ritual vases cut with scenes in relief, known as the ‘sports Rhyton’, the magnificent ‘Harvesters vase’ and ‘the chieftain’s cup’. They are all displayed in the Heraklion Museum.

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