The Hellenic Ministry of Culture is installing a fire protection system at the Minoan palace complex at Monastiraki in Amari, Rethymno, as part of a project to enhance the archaeological site.
The palace complex, located at “Kokkinos Harakas” in the Amari Valley on the western foothills of Mount Psiloritis, dates back to the Protopalatial period (1900-1700 BC) and covers an estimated 300 stremmata.
According to the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, “The Minoan palace center at Monastiraki, closely linked to the palace of Phaistos, was founded in an advantageous position, controlling the natural passage connecting the north and south coasts of the island. At the core of the settlement stands a building with cyclopean masonry and a serrated facade, in which the Minoan hall with columns, which is believed to have had a religious use, is distinguished. The palace center is similar to the storage system of the first palaces of Minoan Crete, as it had warehouses, where a significant number of pithoi for storing goods were discovered, as well as cooking areas, workshops, and living spaces. The size of the warehouses is the largest found in a Minoan palace to date. A room with 150 seals has also been found at the site, which has been interpreted as the first archive of seals. Here, the Protopalatial architectural remains are preserved in excellent condition, as the palace was abandoned at the end of the Protopalatial period and was never intensively re-inhabited. The active fire protection of the site is part of the overall framework of interventions to upgrade the archaeological site, but also of the more general program implemented by the Ministry of Culture for the prevention of the effects of climate change on cultural heritage.”
The project includes the installation of portable dry powder fire extinguishers, a permanent water supply fire network consisting of 11 fire hydrants, a water tank, a fire pump, and a fire extinguishing network. Fire stations with tools will be placed at three points of the site, and portable fire extinguishers will be installed in the fire engine room.
Of particular interest is the integrated rainwater management system, which dates back to the end of the Protopalatial period (1700 BC) and is currently the earliest and only example of its kind for the period. The ducts, the collection basins, and the circular tank are still visible today. The palace center of Monastiraki was destroyed by an earthquake and the ensuing fire at the end of the Protopalatial period, as happened with the other palatial centers and the great palaces of Crete. However, unlike the latter, Monastiraki was abandoned and not rebuilt in the Neopalatial era.
References
https://www.culture.gov.gr/el/Information/SitePages/view.aspx?nID=5177
