Palace and Landscape at Palaikastro - PALAP

01/08/2024

Among our finds from the 2022 Palaikastro excavations on the Chiona promontory and East Beach are ground stone tools and pumice – currently under study by Giorgos Varsanis. Here he takes a close look at a possible andesite polisher.

31/07/2024

Our bioarchaeological study has seen fantastic progress this summer, in no small part thanks to the tireless input from students such as Marie, Classics MA from UofT. There is a great deal of sorting required, separating the charcoal, seeds, shell and bone so that our specialists can get to work with their analysis (Dr. Sidonie Preiss – archaeobotany; Dr. Llorenç Picornell – charcoal; Dr. Rena Veropoulidou – shell/molluscs; Dr. Vaso Tzevelekidi – faunal remains).

30/07/2024

Entering the final weeks of our study season at Palaikastro... the material from our 2022 excavations is coming together nicely. Here Dr. Rachel Phillips and Zoe Arzuman catalogue pottery from the tests on the Chiona promontory. Stay tuned for further updates this week!

29/08/2023

19/08/2022

There goes the final sunrise for ! After six long weeks of excavating and processing finds, we have reached the finish line on our project. Thank you to everyone on our team for such a successful season!

16/08/2022

We started off on a high note! Check out these pictures from our hike up to see the peak sanctuary at Mount Petsofas.

08/08/2022

It's the start of and we wanted to showcase our team! We have talented and dedicated team members involved in , some who are sadly missing from this photo, but all who are appreciated for their hard work this season!

03/08/2022

We're well into Week 4 of and we wanted to show you our floatation station! Everyday team members run our floatation station, floating soil samples for particles that can be microscopically analyzed and studied out of the field.

01/08/2022

Some weekend fun with our team as we visited the archaeological site of Zakros! From exploring the palace to hiking through the Gorge of the Dead, this trip was both educational and fun for our students after a long week of excavating.

28/07/2022

Just like that it's almost the end of of ! This week we wanted to share what we get up to after excavating. From washing pottery, bones and shells; to analyzing soil samples, our team works hard in the evening processing finds.

27/07/2022

saw our team working hard to uncover the structures on the coast of Palaikastro. We also had a quick visit to the Archaeological Museum of Sitia, where students had the chance to see amazing artifacts from local sites on Eastern Crete!

26/07/2022

On week 1 of , University of Toronto undergraduate and graduate students explored the city of Heraklion -- visiting sites such as the Heraklion Archaeological Museum and Knossos (pictured). This trip was a great way to kick-off the project and learn more about the material culture encountered on site!