Abstract
Title: Changes in Cult Practices in Haghia Triada and Western Messara (Crete) from the Neopalatial Period to the Formative Phases of the Phaistos Polis: Reorganizations or Evolutions?
The archaeological sites of Western Messara (Crete), and in particular that of Haghia Triada, are significant examples of the changes in cult practices from the Neopalatial period to the formative phases of Greek city-states. This paper aims to clarify the nature of these transformations, especially after the arrival of the Mycenaeans in Crete, when a free-standing temple with a bench was built at Hagia Triada, and after the end of the palatial civilization, throughout the gestation period of the Phaistos polis.
Keywords: Hagia Triada, Mesara, religious reorganization, temple, cults.