Vasiliki, Lasithi

Vasiliki or Vassiliki or Wassiliki (Greek Βασιλική ( f sg ) ) is the name of a village in the municipality of Ierapetra in eastern Crete. Not far from the present village, which counts 72 inhabitants, archaeologists found the remains of a village from the Minoan period. It is one of the few excavated settlements from early Minoan period with road planning recognizable. In addition, according to the site, a ceramic style is named (see " Vassiliki style ").

Location

The place is located in the municipality of Pachia Ammos in the municipality of Ierapetra, in the regional district of Lasithi, on a hill in the north of the Isthmus of Ierapetra.

Archaeological Site

Excavations

Vasiliki was first excavated in 1903, 1904 and 1906 by the American archaeologist Richard Berry Seager. Nikolaos Platon led the excavations continued in 1953. Later Antonios Zois began with the excavation, which lasted from 1970 to 1982 and in 1990 continued again.

Minoan village

As the excavations revealed the Minoan village of FM II was inhabited until LM IA. Its prime location apparently was controlled from here the Isthmus of Ierapetra are - this could possibly have been the impetus for founding the settlement. Also, the fact that the settlement was destroyed around 2300 BC by a fire and was rebuilt thereafter, affirm the assumption that the settlement had a good location.

The oldest finds are from the FM II A phase. The ceramic used was decorated with incised patterns at this time, in parallel, they found pottery with geometric patterns that were painted with darker color on the bright tone. At the end of FM II A first dive pots on Vassiliki style. This was the prevailing style of FM II B and the last copies can still be found during EM III. However, is the " light to dark " ceramic is the most popular at this time. At MM IA, currently the largest expansion of the settlement, one finds again " dark to light " ceramic. After the destruction in MM II B probably have to leave the village most of the people, because you will find in the subsequent period only sparse finds. A dome above grave of Vasiliki on the village of Agios Theodoros from the end of LM III C, shows that the place was albeit sparse, yet populated.

It was long believed, however, that it was not a village, but a single building at Vasiliki. Richard Seager pointed namely the building complex, which was on the hill, as a precursor of the Minoan palaces and called him " The House on the Hill ". It was not until the excavations Antonios Zois brought the now generally accepted interpretation on as a multistep, complex peer houses. The houses usually have several stories, which is why they appear well developed compared to other vorpalastzeitlichen houses. In the lower level is the so-called " Red House " worth mentioning, named because of the red plaster so. According to estimates by Antonios Zois were about 200 people in the village.