Vasiliki, Lasithi

Vasiliki is an Early Minoan settlement on hill Kastelli near Ierapetra, eastern Crete, occupied from c. 2600 BC and flourishing due to its strategic position controlling the Ierapetra isthmus. First excavated in 1900 by Harriet Boyd and Richard Seager, with systematic work by Antonios Zois after 1970, the site revealed a Minoan mansion with storage rooms and courtyards. Its main buildings were destroyed by fire around 2300 BC. The site is renowned for its distinctive Vasiliki Ware pottery, featuring elongated spouts and mottled decoration created through controlled kiln techniques.