ΚΑΤΕΣΚΑΨΑΝ ΙΕΡΑΠΥΤΝΙΟΙ: THE DESTRUCTION OF POLITICAL COMMUNITIES IN THE SECOND CENTURY BC AND THE RESILIENCE OF THE CRETAN POLIS

Recently there has been a revival of interest in both the historical and archaeological dimensions destruction cities. The principal settlement polis is one thing, effective eradication political community quite another. What did it take to destroy community? record full references destructions by another late Classical Hellenistic times Crete. And though not all these led end question, some did, between period (where we know 49 poleis ) Roman conquest Metellus only 24) numbers Cretan were drastically reduced. Praisos Hierapytna 145 140 BC (Strabo 10.4.12) was such case. This seems form part horizon (of Dreros, Apollonia Phaistos) that took place 200 BC. Florence Gaignerot-Driessen demonstrated clear ritual dimension this case indicated elsewhere use verb κατέσκαψαν. Excavations at have shed light on question. paper argues that, while no evidence for widespread fire, ending Praisian sanctuaries forced abandonment houses (most intriguingly) large storage vessels. A particular ‘signature’ abandonments, evident Phaistos Praisos, ‘household pithos’, which many cases seem be older than they found. also signatures what had destroyed order eradicate turn made ‘citizen state’ so resilient.