Hagia Triada (also
Ayia Triada,
Agia Triada,
Agia Trias), "
ahyuh tree
ahdhuh", is the
archaeological site of an ancient
Minoan settlement.
[1] Hagia Triada is situated on a prominent coastal ridge, with the
Mesara Plain below.
[2] Hagia triada sits at the western end of the ridge, while
Phaistos is at the eastern end.
Hagia Triada means
holy trinity in Greek.
Hagia Triada is in south central Crete, 30-40 meters above sea level. It lies four km west of Phaistos, situated at the western end of the Mesara Plain. The site was not one of the "palaces" of Minoan Crete, but an upscale town, and possibly a royal villa. After the catastrophe of 1450 BC, the town was rebuilt and remained inhabited until the 2nd century BC. Later, a Roman period villa was built at the site. Nearby are two chapels, Agia Triada and Agios Georgios, built during the Venetian period, as well as the deserted village of Agia Triada.
Hagia Triada, as nearby Phaistos, was excavated from 1900 to 1908 by a group from Italian Scuola Archeologica Italiana di Atene, directed by Federico Halbherr and Luigi Pernier. They unearthed a sarcophagus painted with illuminating scenes from Cretan life,[3] now at the Archaeological Museum in Iraklion.
The site includes a town and a miniature "palace", an ancient drainage system servicing both, and Early Minoan tholos tombs. The settlement was in use, in various forms, from Early Minoan I until the fires of Late Minoan IB.
