Paesaggi funerari e insediativi nella Messarà all'inizio dell'epoca neopalaziale

The period following the seismic event datable to MM IIB saw a slow negotiation of power between the palatial centre of Phaistos and its territory (including the important sites of Kommos and Haghia Triada); this process took several generations with different scenarios between MM IIIA and MM IIIB and different outcomes compared to north-central Crete. The paper examines the situation of the Mesara plain during the MM III period with specific focus on funerary and settlement data. The conservativeness of funerary practices is highlighted and provides evidence for the transitional stage of MM III that experienced regional shifts before the reconstruction of new centres of power. In particular, the resistance of Protopalatial burial customs in southern Crete reveals the willingness to maintain old ceremonial practices along to First Palace ideology.