North Front Soundings 1987, Knossos
This project, directed by Dr Jo Day, explores the material from the 1987 excavations by Dr Alan Peatfield and Sinclair Hood along the north front of the palace (P87), which aimed to trace the eastward continuation of the monumental EM III wall identified in 1973. It will contribute to the narrative relating to the development of monumental architecture and its concomitant social organisation on Crete, in particular pre-MM IB development of a ‘court complex’ at Knossos.
Project Overview
Led by Dr. Jo Day (University College Dublin) this project is studying archaeological materials from soundings along the north front of the Knossos palace, excavated by Dr. Alan Peatfield in 1987. With permission from the British School at Athens (BSA) and the collaboration of two UCD students, the project is focused on organizing, analyzing, and preparing the materials for future publication.
The team is working on artefacts such as pottery, plaster fragments, shells, ground stones, obsidian, and even colored pigments. The first phase of this study identified 90 ceramic units, mostly Prepalatial, with notable wares such as Dark-on-Light, Light-on-Dark, and Cooking Pot styles. Some materials even dated back to the Late Neolithic period. Further study of non-ceramic finds, particularly the abundant obsidian, is planned, along with collaboration on Cycladic imports identified by specialists.
​
A key goal is to create inventories, photograph finds, and analyze wares and chronologies and to contextualise this with critical insights from Dr. Peatfield and with information from the original excavation notebooks. The project offers students from University College Dublin (UCD) hands-on experience through seminars, workshops, and visits to important Minoan sites like the Heraklion Museum and Gournia.
​
Next steps include continued analysis, cataloging, and specialist studies to piece together the history of Early Bronze Age Knossos. However, limitations due to incomplete documentation highlight the challenges of working with legacy data. Despite these obstacles, the project is shedding light on one of the world’s most iconic archaeological sites.
Contact
Dr Jo Day
Assistant Professor in Greek Archaeology / Ollamh Cúnta le Seandálaíocht na Gréige
Curator of the UCD Classical Museum / Caomhnóir Mhúsaem Clasaiceach UCD
Pathway Coordinator BA Humanities Classics, Art History and Archaeology / Comhordaitheoir Roghanna BA Daonnachtaí Clasaiceacha, Stair na hEalaíne agus Seandálaíocht
(353) 1 716 8476