Vassiliki is a significant Minoan archaeological site near the contemporary settlement of Vassiliki, on a small hill to the north of Ierapetra town. The archaeologists disagreed over the location of Vassiliki. At originally, this location was thought to be a Minoan palace.
Modern archaeologists discovered, however, that Vassiliki was a community that went through a succession of building phases and was devastated by three fires in the early and middle Minoan eras. The village was recreated and the culture was resurrected each time. There is no evidence that the community was ever threatened by nearby towns or other cultures.
A.A. Zois, who studied the site from the 1970s through the 1990s, discovered four sections with constructions of identical size. According to Zois, these side-by-side dwellings of comparable size indicate that Vassiliki was not a Minoan palace, but rather a society of equal citizens.
Vassiliki has two types of houses: the Red House and the West House. The Red House is located in the settlement’s center and is named for the red-painted lime plaster on the walls, while the West House is located to the west. They were both constructed during the early Minoan period.
The Vassiliki Ware, which demonstrated the evolution of pottery in this site and resulted in the manufacturing of jugs, teapots, bowls, and other ceramic objects, is another noteworthy discovery in Vassiliki. Vassiliki Ware persisted until the early Minoan period came to an end. Vassiliki flourished until the end of the Minoan period, when the final structures were built.
