The Cult Area Of The Palace
In the Protopalatial period this long area at the southeast part of the palace, preserved to this day and comprising of flagstone floors, was probably already dedicated to the cult and had a different arrangement. The central space comprises a 4 m. long plastered bench, and the south wall is lined with vertical slabs, (orthostates). Following the Middle Minoan IIB destruction, in the Neopalatial period two new walls were built to isolate the central room with the bench, which was filled, and never used again. The smaller square room to the west (1) continued to be used as a cult area, until the final Late Minoan IB destruction. In this room a plaster libation table with fresco decoration, in more than 600 fragments, was excavated. The easternmost elongated room (2), which has direct communication with the central court, also continued to be used until the Late Minoan IB, and was found empty, except for a large quantity of ashlar blocks, including jambs from pier-and-door partitions fallen from the upper floor.
