Vasiliki, Lasithi

Vasiliki is the name of a village in the municipality of Ierapetra, in the prefecture of Lasithi, on Crete, and the name of the nearby Minoan archeological site. The site took its name from the village.

Geography

Vasiliki lies on a small hill in the north of the Ierapetra isthmus. [ [http://www.uk.digiserve.com/mentor/minoan/vasiliki.htm Ian Swindale, "Vasiliki archaeological site"] ]

Archaeology

Vasiliki was first excavated 1903-1906 by American archaeologist R. B. Seager. Nicolas Platon continued excavations in 1953. In 1970, A. A. Zois began meticulous work that lasted until 1982, and returned to the site again in 1990 to continue the work.

The Minoan village was in use from EMIIA to LMIA. From about 2500 BC onwards, the culture of Vasiliki resembled art elements as other Cretan sites such as Knossos and Trapezea based upon pottery finds. [ [http://letmespeaktothedriver.com/site/10854/knossos.html#fieldnotes C. Michael Hogan, "Knossos fieldnotes", Modern Antiquarian (2007)] ] A nearby tomb from LMIII was once discovered, but the location has not been rediscovered.

The site includes houses, many Vasiliki-ware pottery finds and a paved courtyard.

References