Ayia Triada  Get the most from this page   Ayia Triada (also
Agia or Hagia Triada) is situated a couple of kilometres from
Phaistos on the west slope of a hill 30-40 metres above sea
level and the excavated area measures 135 by 135 metres. It's
original name is not known. Ayia Triada was probably first
settled towards the end of the Neolithic. At any rate, a
significant settlement on the site now known as Agia Triada
existed in the Early Bronze Age, EM I. Further evidence of early
settlement are the two Early Minoan tholos tombs together with
their funerary rooms. In keeping with local practice, these
tombs were used for collective burial.  Agia Triada was
inhabited throughout the Middle Minoan period, but it is still
not known how important the settlement was at that time. It is
likely that the settled area was as large as it was to be in
later times, though there is no evidence for grand buildings on
the scale of the so-called Royal Villa that was built in the
Neopalatial period.  The Royal Villa  The Royal