Palaikastro Block M : the proto- and neopalatial town / by Carl Knappett and Tim Cunningham ; with contributions by Doniert Evely, Polly Westlake and Max Bichler.

Folded plans inserted in pocket.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 327-333) and index.

Chapter. 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Block M architecture and stratigraphy -- Chapter 3. Block M pottery typology -- Chapter 4. Block M in the Prepalatial and Protopalatial periods -- Chapter 5. Block M in MM IIIA and MM IIIB -- Chapte 6. Block M in the LM IA period -- Chapter 7. The reoccupation (LM IB-IIIB) in Block M by Tim Cunningham -- Chapter 8. Small finds by Doniert Evely -- Chapter 9. Plaster finds from Block M by Polly Westlake -- Chapter 10. Synthesis : Block M and Proto- and Neopalatial Crete.

Block M is a substantial architectural complex comprising three large buildings at the heart of the Minoan town of Palaikastro. With traces of activity stretching back to the Prepalatial period, and occupation in the Protopalatial period, Block M sees its most intensive use in the Neopalatial period, in the 17th century BC. This period sees widespread construction, followed by two severe destruction horizons: the first seismic, the second associated with the Theran eruption, by which time the Block may already have been in ruins. Its subsequent history is very different from that usually encountered elsewhere in the town - it became an open area used only for the dumping of refuse in two abandoned wells, without widespread reoccupation in the LM II-III periods. This volume presents the results of excavations conducted by the British School at Athens, which uncovered these extensive remains in the late 1980s, 1990s and 2003. These investigations have helped to elucidate the character of this important town during the Middle and early Late Bronze Ages, and offer valuable evidence for relations between eastern Crete and sites in the centre of the island such as Knossos.