Guide to the Dorian City of Lato, Crete, Greece

Terraces / Domestic Houses

The terraces on the northern side of the steps (to the left as you ascend) have a number of gates leading onto paths to the northern slopes or into passageways to the private dwellings of Lato's inhabitants. Many of these houses were built up in a manner so that the roof of one provided access and a courtyard for the one above. The most common design is of a simple two room building with a hearth plus a private cistern, cut into the rock, which would provide the house with its water supply. The presence of the remains of steps suggests that some even had a second storey, probably constructed of mud brick. According to 20th century French archaeologists the houses date from different, and in some instances quite early, periods. To a certain degree they also formed part of the early city's defence system (prior to the consruction of the south rampart) with gates, passagesways and paths providing complex individual fortifications rendering some 'veritable towers with zig zag entrances.' (Ducrey and Picard). The result of this would have been an almost impermeable wall of fortified structures, preventing an enemy, who somehow had managed to gain access to the city's living and trading quarters, from launching an attack either on the inhabitants themselves or on the centre from the north west.

^ The entrance to this house is accessed via a passageway that doubles back on itself ^

^ Another view of the same house looking down towards the steps ^

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^ Looking down from a terrace above into the two rooms of the building ^

^ Showing the lintel sitting at groud level of a terrace above ^

^ Inside the house looking out of the door to the passageway ^

^ Inside the house looking to the second room ^

^ Looking across the street to the huge stones used to construct the house above ^

^ Entrances to other passageways lower down the steps ^

^ Entrance to a lower terrace - stone basin just inside passageway ^

Click on the appropriate link to view pictures and description

Main Gate | Steps | Terraces | Shops and Workshops | Portico / Stoa | Central Cistern | Sanctuary / Temple | Agora | Exedra | Prytaneion | Houses of the Prytaneion | Temple House | Great Temple | Altar | Theatral Area |

Walls / Ramparts | Cisterns | Surrounding Area | Miscellaneous

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