Malia Palace on crete

Details:
The first attempt to excavate the site was made in 1915 by Joseph Hadzidakis but the full excavation of the Palace and much of the surrounding town was conducted by the French Archaeological School under F. Chapouthier and are still continuing today. Like the other palaces Malia has a west court. The west wing of the Palace, which probably had two storeys, contained magazines, cult rooms and official apartments. The Palace. The largest part of the ruins visible today belongs to the New Palace period, of the first palace only a section is preserved, to the NW of the building, while a small oblique structure in the north court dates to the Post-palatial period. Access to the palace today is through the west paved court, which is crossed by slightly raised paths, the so-called "processional ways". Every side of the complex had an entrance, but the main ones were those in the north and south wings. The palace is arranged around the central court, which had porticos on the north and east sides, and an altar at the centre.