Vathipetro
At the foot of the southern end of Mount Juchtas in Central Crete,about 4 klm south of Archanes, lies the Minoan villa of Vathipetro.It was probably on the Minoan route from Knossos to the Messara plain in the south of the island and was originally the residence of a local ruler.
This Minoan building can be characterised a small palace with some parts of it with two storeys. It consists of walls filled with colourful plaster but no frescoes were found. It was built around 1.550 BC and destroyed around 1450 BC and since then it was used as a cottage.
It has a central court, a hall supported by four quadrangular pillars and a magazine with sixteen earthenware jars and a sanctuary. An oil press as well as a wine press were found in the palace, findings that led to the conclusion that the Minoans were familiar with the cultivation of olives and grapes from the early days.
