Overview

 

The village of Tylissos is situated 14 km southwest of Heraklion and surrounded by mountains, olive groves and vineyards. The archeologist Iosif Chatzidakis revealed between 1902 and 1913 buildings from three different Minoan eras.

Tylissos is one of the oldest Cretan towns that kept their ancient name for more than 4.000 years. Olive groves, vineyards and orchards characterize the landscape around Tylissos. The village became famous after the excavation of three large Minoan villas by the archeologist Iosif Chatzidakis in the years 1902 until 1913.

The three villas, known as Houses A, B, and C date from the New Palace era and were destroyed around 1450 BC.

House A, the first that was unearthed, is of exceptionally fine construction and design. It was a two-storey building with a colonnaded court, stairs, light wells, storerooms and an extremely good drainage system. Water was pumped from two km away by aqueduct.

House B is rectangular and the oldest of the three. It contains some of the oldest relicts, however, apart from its ground plan nothing else is well preserved.

House C is the most impressive of all. It contains a cult room with a central pillar, different storerooms, corridors, staircases (indication of an upper floor) and light wells. It was rebuilt in the Post Palace period, when its round cistern was added. Outside the house is a stone altar from the Classical period.

Following the arrival of the Dorians, Tylissos developed into a Greek city of the Classical period, issuing its own coinage.