Wood is rarely preserved in archaeology, and the Cretan soil is particularly harsh, leaving few visible traces. However, a detailed analysis of other architectural remains—whether still in place or collapsed—makes it possible to reconstruct not only the presence of this material and the architectural functions for which it was used by the Minoans, but also the entire chaîne opératoire of its shaping and implementation.

This analysis is carried out through the study of architectural elements directly related to timber construction (such as column bases), as well as through the examination of voids and imprints left by wood within walls or other building materials (for example, wood impressions in earth material used in buildings – fig. 1). It also seeks to correlate the technical data obtained from these materials with the wood taxa used, information that can be retrieved from the study of charcoal when wood has been preserved through carbonisation, as at Sissi (fig. 2).

Fig. 1a – Restitution of wooden pieces by the technical study of a building earth fragment. (c) P. Bacoup

Fig. 1b – Building earth fragment with mat and wood imprints. (c) P. Bacoup

Fig. 2 – Remains of charred beam in tumble covering the west part of street 8.1, from Fig. 5.78. south (Q. Letesson, Sissi II, fig. 5.78)

Through this interdisciplinary approach, which combines technical studies and anthracological analyses, this research aims to understand the processes of timber construction, from the selection of raw materials to the erection of buildings. Emphasis is placed on an understanding of the technical choices made by builders (environmental determinism, technical traditions, available tools). At the same time, the study seeks to reconstruct the carpenters’ technical practices and the level of expertise required to achieve such constructions

In order to carry out this study, it is essential to focus on contexts destroyed by fire, a phenomenon that ensures the preservation of wood through carbonisation, as well as the preservation of building earth, which undergoes a process comparable to ceramic firing. Such contexts are known at Sissi and most Prepalatial, Neopalatial, and Postpalatial levels have yielded evidence.

This ongoing research began in 2024 with a survey of suitable contexts and was followed by a study campaign in May 2025 (fig. 3). The investigation currently focuses on Spaces 5.11/5.12/5.13 of Building E (Postpalatial, LM IIIB), Spaces 4.19/4.22 of Building CD (Neopalatial, LM IB), and Spaces 8.15/8.16 of Building B (Neopalatial, MM IIIA).

fig. 3 – Study of building earth fragments in progress. (c) C. Langohr

fig. 3 – Study of building earth fragments in progress. (c) P. Bacoup

The material from Spaces 8.15/8.16 most likely derives from an upper-floor structure or a roof terrace, and we are now beginning to reconstruct the morphology of the timber elements that composed the framework, as well as the techniques employed in its construction. In Spaces 4.19/4.22, we are trying to identify the wood taxa and, potentially, the techniques used to construct a wooden staircase and shelves within a niche. In Spaces 5.11/5.12/5.13, we are focusing on the reconstruction of timber data related to an upper-floor structure, doorframes, and possible wattle-and-daub walls or partitions.

Paul Bacoup (UCLouvain, INCAL, AegIs)