The Dungeon: Recalling the West Façade of the Protopalatial Palace at Malia

Devolder, Maud [UCL]

The Minoan Palace at Malia reflects two main architectural phases, Proto- and Neopalatial. A first, Protopalatial building is erected at the onset of the second millennium BC (ca. 1900-1700 BC), and after a conflagration perhaps triggered by an earthquake around 1700 BC, the Neopalatial complex is built (ca. 1700-1450 BC). The ruin now visible is an intricate weave of both periods. This is for a large part because the Neopalatial builders saved both time and energy by reusing previous architectural materials or spolia. But the incorporation of Protopalatial remains into the new complex also reflects the desire to promote continuity within the long-standing monument. The limestone façade wall facing the North-West Court of the Palace is especially significant in this regard. Constructed with large boulders of grey blue limestone, it contrasts sharply with the yellowish background of cut sandstone walls erected during the Neopalatial period. This striking difference in masonry did not escape the excavators of the Palace: the sturdy look of the wall in comparison with the elaborate ashlar masonry prompted the name of ‘Dungeon’ for the rooms it bordered, and it was suggested that it belonged to the first, Protopalatial complex. A new architectural study of the Palace is now able to show that, even though the excavators were not entirely wrong, the story of the ‘Dungeon’ is significantly more complex and challenging than initially surmised. In this paper, I argue that the façade of the ‘Dungeon’ was erected during the Neopalatial period by reusing materials from the West façade of the Protopalatial Palace. I also argue that the new wall was constructed in masonry of grey blue boulders which specifically imitated the Protopalatial West façade in order to serve as a mnemonic device. The sharp contrast created by the ‘Dungeon’ with its built environment is seen as a deliberate attempt to single out its architectural legacy within the Neopalatial complex and to boost the visual impact it made on the users of the Palace crossing the North-West Court in order to reach the elaborate Quartier d’apparat. New architectural data in the Palace at Malia thus underline the fact that, despite the thorough reconstruction of the building after the 1700 BC destruction, special care was taken in promoting its continuity through the erection within the Neopalatial complex of walls that mirrored its Protopalatial grandeur.