Protopalatial Period

The Middle Minoan period at Mochlos is currently under extensive study. This period, also referred to as the Protopalatial period, extended from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC to around 1670 BC.

Site Chronology

Minoan Period	Prepalatial Period	Protopalatial Period	Neopalatial Period	Mycenaean Period	Archaic & After
Years	3000 - 1900 BCE	1900 -1670 BCE	1670 - 1430 BCE	1430 - 1250 BCE	600s BCE - 365 CE
Relative Chronology	EM IA to MMIA	MM IB to MM IIB	MM IIIA to LM IB	LM IIIA to LMIIIB	Various

1900 - 1670 BC

An assortment of Protopalacial Pottery from Mochlos. A Protopalacial Sitemap is forthcoming Pending further research.

The Protopalatial period (1900-1670 BC) at Mochlos is represented by fragmentary material. The period ended with the remodeling of the Mochlos settlement, taking the form that we see today, known as the Neopalatial (Late Minoan I) settlement. However, the extent of Middle Minoan deposits in various areas of the site signifies that the Protopalatial settlement covered a large area underneath the LM I town. Five ceramic deposits related to isolated architectural features and a partially excavated house have expanded our ideas about the transformation of Mochlos from the Early Bronze Age to what is called the Protopalatial period.

During this time, Mochlos transformed from a local chiefdom to a participant in a state level society, which showed strong cultural affiliations with the center of Mallia whose reach extended to the Gulf of Mirabello. Even from the beginning of the Protopalatial period the material at Mochlos shows extensive localized pottery production intensifying throughout the course of this period. The introduction of the potters’ wheel led to the creation of new shapes, like carinated and straight-sided cups and tumblers. The standardization in pottery consumption, expressed as similarities with pottery material from other sites in the region of Mirabello and with the center of Mallia, demonstrates the importance of Mochlos as a provincial settlement in the Mallian state until the end of this period. Earthquake is thought to have caused the destruction of most of the Protopalatial town, but it appears to have recovered quickly, and the 2021-2022 excavation revealed an area that survived this destruction and continued to function as a purple dye workshop, producing a commodity that supported the rebuilding of the town and made its inhabitants rich.