Azoria is an archaeological site on a double-peaked hill in eastern Crete, overlooking the Gulf of Mirabello. The site is near the modern village of Kavousi and occupies a strategic topographic position.
Discovery and Excavation
The discovery and excavation of Azoria have been crucial in revealing its historical significance. Here’s a detailed look at how this site was brought to light and the work that has been carried out:
- Initial Exploration: In 1900, American archaeologist Harriet Boyd-Hawes made the first exploration of the site. She excavated a single trench. Her finds included pottery from the “latest Mycenaean” and “early Geometric” periods, along with material from the Orientalizing and Hellenistic periods.
- Resumption of Work: The American School of Classical Studies resumed work at Azoria in 2002, initiating what is known as the Azoria Project.
- Focus of the Azoria Project: The primary focus of the Azoria Project has been the study of the 6th-century BC urban center. The project aims to trace the growth of the Azoria settlement from the Bronze Age to its establishment as a regional center in the Early Iron Age.
- Excavation Aims:
- To understand the early history of the site.
- To explore stratigraphically the changes in the settlement’s form during the transition from the Early Iron Age (Greek Dark Age) and Orientalizing to Archaic periods.
- To assess changes in the formal structure and socioeconomic systems of the site from the 12th to the 8th century BC and during the establishment of the city in the 7th century BC.
- Key Discoveries: Excavation has revealed stratification showing a distinct phase of architectural renovation. This renovation involved significant changes in how the settlement was used and how public and private space was organized. This transition appears to have occurred sometime in the early 6th century BC.
- Landscape Transformation: Evidence indicates broad-sweeping alterations to the landscape of the site, including the construction of monumental buildings and the reorganization of both civic and domestic space. This suggests aspects of town planning were implemented.
- Methodology: By implementing intensive sampling procedures, researchers have been able to recover botanical and faunal assemblages. These assemblages allow the reconstruction of large-scale storage, processing, and consumption of food in distinctly public contexts.
- Target Areas: Excavation efforts were concentrated on the slopes of the South Acropolis in areas A, B, and D.
- Objectives of the 2003 and 2004 Excavations:
- To complete the excavation of the Northeast Building, establishing its domestic function and relationship to structures on the peak.
- To continue exposing rooms of the putative andreion complex on the west slope.
- Funding: The Azoria Project has been supported by grants from institutions such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation.
Historical Periods and Occupation
- Early Habitation: Azoria has a long history, with evidence of use in the Final Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Early Iron Age.
- Early Iron Age (EIA): Azoria’s growth is traced from the Bronze Age until its establishment as a regional center in the Early Iron Age. The Early Iron Age, also known as the Greek Dark Age (c. 1200–700 BC), saw Azoria as a developing settlement. Excavations explore stratigraphically the transitions in the settlement’s form from this period into the Orientalizing and Archaic periods.
- Orientalizing Period (700-600 BC): This phase is crucial in understanding the transformations at Azoria, particularly how it set the stage for the subsequent Archaic period.
- Archaic Period (600–500 BC): The most visible remains at Azoria are from the Archaic period.
- Around 600 BC, Azoria was established as a city, marking a significant transition.
- During this time, Azoria became a large, aggregated settlement.
- The settlement expanded to about 15 hectares in size.
- The Archaic period is characterized by the establishment of a new settlement structure and the appearance of buildings with public functions on the peak of the South Acropolis.
- The Archaic rebuilding expanded the settlement to its maximum size, creating a zone of communal buildings and formalizing civic architecture.
- 5th Century BC Destruction: The city experienced destruction by fire early in the 5th century BC. This event marked the end of its life as a major settlement for an extended period.
- Limited Reoccupation: The site was reoccupied on a limited scale around 200 BC, during the Hellenistic period. This reoccupation was restricted to the peak of the South Acropolis. There is some evidence of partial reuse of the standing Archaic remains for a refuse pit and impermanent structures, as well as continued ritual use of the Cult Building.
Azoria’s development reflects broader patterns of urbanization and social change in Early Iron Age and Archaic Crete. The site’s strategic location and the reorganization of its physical space underscore its importance as a regional center during these periods. The transition from dispersed villages to an aggregated settlement at Azoria indicates a significant shift in settlement patterns and social organization.
Connection to Other Sites and Regions
- Regional Settlement Patterns:
- The establishment of Azoria as a large, aggregated settlement by the 6th century BC involved significant changes in regional settlement patterns.
- Prior to Azoria’s growth, the region was characterized by small, dispersed villages and cemeteries populating the valley linking the plain of Kavousi with the Siteia Mountains. This pattern constituted an axis of communication or heterarchical corridor between the mountains and the coastal plain.
- The end of the 7th century BC saw the abandonment of most of these sites, with the population relocating to Azoria.
- This relocation to Azoria from surrounding sites like Vronda, Skala, Skouriasmenos, and Chondrovolakes indicates a shift in population and resources to the centralized urban center.
- Interstate Rivalries: In the 3rd century BC, interstate rivalries, with Lato and Hierapytna establishing claims to territories. The north isthmus of Ierapetra, the Kavousi plain, and the port at Tholos may have been of critical strategic importance for Hierapytna’s expansionist claims against Lato, and its interests in controlling both pastoral land and port facilities along the mountainous hinterlands of Istron and Oleros.
Abandonment and Destruction
- Late 7th Century BC Changes: At the end of the 7th century, a change involved both the abandonment of most of the small dispersed valley sites, and a physical movement of people to Azoria. Sites in use for the better part of 500 years were abandoned, with population relocating to Azoria.
- Early 6th Century BC Transformation: Around 600 BC, Azoria experienced a transformative phase change, becoming a large aggregated settlement. This involved a shift in settlement structure, economy, and social interactions. The date of this event coincides with the abandonment of the Kastro, and associated collective tombs at Vronda, Skala, Skouriasmenos, Chondrovolakes.
- 5th Century BC Destruction of Azoria:
- Azoria was destroyed by fire early in the 5th century BC.
- This destruction marked the end of its existence as a major settlement for an extended period.
- Ashy deposits of burned debris, consisting of carbonized wood and burned plant material, are found scattered throughout the layers of roofing clay and habitation material.
- During excavation, accumulations of roofing clay and the yellow-green phyllite clay floor surfaces were found to be burned light to dark red, while substantial patches of ash and charcoal were visible throughout the matrices.
- Differential Abandonment: In marked contrast to other rooms, some rooms were evidently abandoned before the 6th century and therefore exhibit none of the evidence of this Late Archaic destruction.
- Hellenistic Period Reoccupation: By the 3rd century BC, the ceiling and walls of the structures had evidently collapsed, and probably little of the eastern wall remained intact. The Hellenistic squatters cleared the rooms of debris, in some cases digging into the Archaic roofing material. While their purpose is not entirely clear, they hastily rebuilt the north wall and put a makeshift bin or trough against the west wall. Blocking the doorway between the two rooms, they converted the north.
Here’s a ‘Site: Key Points’ section recapping the relevant information about Azoria:
Site: Key Points
- Location: Double-peaked hill southeast of Kavousi village in northeastern Crete.
- Construction Period: Primarily Archaic period (600–500 BC).
- Historical Significance: Established as a regional center during the Early Iron Age. Important site for understanding urbanization and the development of the Cretan polis.
- Dimensions: Archaic rebuilding expanded the settlement to approximately 15 hectares.
- Periods of Activity: The site was occupied in the Final Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Early Iron Age, with the most visible remains dating to the Archaic period (600–500 BC).
- Current Status: Archaeological site with ongoing excavation, analysis, and interpretation.
References
- Driessen, J. and Langohr, C., 2007, Rallying ’round a ‘Minoan’ past: the legitimation of power at Knossos during the Late Bronze Age
- Pollard, “Between the Mountains and the Sea Landscapes of Settlement, Subsistence and Funerary Practice in La.pdf”
- Small, D.B., 2010, “The Archaic Polis of Azoria: A Window into Cretan ‘Polital’ Social Structure”, Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology
- “Azoria – Wikipedia” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azoria
- Haggis, D.C., Mook, M.S., Fitzsimons, R.D., Scarry, C.M., Snyder, L.M. and West, W.C., 2011, Excavations in the Archaic Civic Buildings at Azoria in 2005-2006, Hesperia
- Gaignerot-Driessen, F. and Driessen, J., 2014, Cretan Cities: Formation and Transformation
