DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.7519#0365
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF CRETE
slope.1 The road of approach runs along these walls and
ascends to a fortified gate, whence a narrow paved street leads
up and over the saddle between the two summits. At a point
before the top of the saddle is reached lies the Agora. This is
a comparatively large open space, at the North end of which
is a flight of steps leading up between two towers to the
Prytaneion, in the main hall of which is an altar. Along the
West side of the Agora runs a portico. Facing the Prytaneion
is a simple, probably hypaethral shrine consisting of a single
chamber. On the South side of the road and forming the
South end of the Agora is an exedra. A comparison with
Gournia (p. 191) is inevitable. At Lato the group of public
buildings has taken the place of the manor house as the centre
5 o 5 M
ARCHAIC HOUSE AT LATO
Fig. 50
of the city. There is no regular system of roads. The build-
ings seem to lie quite haphazard.
A typical house is shown in Fig. 50. It is built of large,
rather rough stones, except for the door jambs which are square-
dressed and are often monoliths. The rock is cut back to
form one of the walls. This is a feature which is particularly
common in West Crete,2 where almost every ancient acropolis
shows a quantity of rock-cuttings, but rare in East Crete, where,
owing to the hardness of the native stone, the inhabitants pre-
ferred to terrace up the foundations rather than to cut back.
At one end is a courtyard from which the entrance-hall is
1 Fortification walls are always dangerous things to date. Most of
the examples in mainland Greece are later than the fifth century. It
is difficult, however, in this case to dissociate them from the houses,
since the masonry is identical.
a The best example is at Rhokka, where the rock wall often ran
up two stories, the holes for the beams of the ceiling being clearly
visible.
slope.1 The road of approach runs along these walls and
ascends to a fortified gate, whence a narrow paved street leads
up and over the saddle between the two summits. At a point
before the top of the saddle is reached lies the Agora. This is
a comparatively large open space, at the North end of which
is a flight of steps leading up between two towers to the
Prytaneion, in the main hall of which is an altar. Along the
West side of the Agora runs a portico. Facing the Prytaneion
is a simple, probably hypaethral shrine consisting of a single
chamber. On the South side of the road and forming the
South end of the Agora is an exedra. A comparison with
Gournia (p. 191) is inevitable. At Lato the group of public
buildings has taken the place of the manor house as the centre
5 o 5 M
ARCHAIC HOUSE AT LATO
Fig. 50
of the city. There is no regular system of roads. The build-
ings seem to lie quite haphazard.
A typical house is shown in Fig. 50. It is built of large,
rather rough stones, except for the door jambs which are square-
dressed and are often monoliths. The rock is cut back to
form one of the walls. This is a feature which is particularly
common in West Crete,2 where almost every ancient acropolis
shows a quantity of rock-cuttings, but rare in East Crete, where,
owing to the hardness of the native stone, the inhabitants pre-
ferred to terrace up the foundations rather than to cut back.
At one end is a courtyard from which the entrance-hall is
1 Fortification walls are always dangerous things to date. Most of
the examples in mainland Greece are later than the fifth century. It
is difficult, however, in this case to dissociate them from the houses,
since the masonry is identical.
a The best example is at Rhokka, where the rock wall often ran
up two stories, the holes for the beams of the ceiling being clearly
visible.