The MM IB foundation of the First Palace at Phaistos: between continuity and discontinuity

Despite the continuity observed in some aspects of Phaistian material culture (e.g. ceramics), the MM IB foundation of the First Palace, with its monumental orthostat façade, represents a major change in the history not only of Phaistos, but also of its immediate territory, namely the Ieropotamos Valley. Here we observe a new increase in the use and frequentation of nearby settlements (e.g. Agia Triada) and a new investment in the funerary landscape, namely the ex-novo foundation of the Kamilari necropolis and the construction of tholos tomb B at Agia Triada. In this paper, I will present the elements of both continuity and discontinuity visible in the archaeological evidence from the latest Prepalatial (MM IA) to the beginning of the Protopalatial period (MM IB), thus showing the role/impact of the foundation of the palace in the MM IB Ieropotamos Valley and beyond.