Excavations in the square of Haghia Aikaterini in Kanevaro Street, on the Kastelli hill, began in 1964 under Dr. Yannis Tzedakis. From 1970, the rescue excavation was transformed into a systematic one in cooperation of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Chania with the Swedish Archaeological Institute at Athens, as well as with the Institute of Denmark in Athens from 2010 onwards. Today the Greek-Swedish-Danish excavation at Haghia Aikaterini Square covers nearly 5000 years of the history of the town of Khania and is known as the central excavation at Kastelli.
In an area of 600 sq.m. and at a depth of 2 m. superimposed residential layers have come to light. From the neo-palatial residential phase (1700-1450), excavations have brought to light the entire floor plan of one building and parts of three others, along with streets and open public spaces – squares.
The first building, which was revealed in its entirety named Oikia 1, covered an area of 225 sq.m., had two storeys and 14 rooms on the ground floor. Its main entrance (H) is located on the southern street and it includes a polythyron (multiple doorways) hall (C), a light-well (A), a kitchen (M) and a double staircase (O). A clay hearth is preserved in the centre of the kitchen with a loom placed next to it. In room E, which served as a storeroom, a vessel was found containing three kilograms of burnt legumes (vetch and lentils). In the same area two clay tablets of the Minoan Linear A script were discovered, fallen from the storey (fig. 10). Room D may have served as a “treasury” since it contained many decorated clay vessels, stone vessels, clay sealings (figs. 11-12), seals, amulets and jewellery.
The establishment was destroyed by a tremendous fire around 1450 B.C. Immediately after the destruction of 1450 B.C., the inhabitants repaired some parts of the ruined buildings. Rooms A, I and Q of the first building were reused. The great “Master Impression” was found here, a clay sealing which is undoubtedly to be included among the most important finds of the excavations at Kydonia and which is now the emblem of the excavations on the hill.
