The island of Mochlos

The island of Mochlos is situated just east of the Gulf of Mirabello in Eastern Crete. A turning from the main Agios Nikolaos-Siteia road leads down to the harbour where local fishermen will take you the couple of hundred yards to the island. It is almost certain that Mochlos was not an island in Minoan times, but was joined to the mainland and had harbours both on the east and west of the island, used according to the prevailing winds. Extensive Minoan remains are to be found both on the island of Mochlos itself and on the plain opposite the island on the mainland of Crete.

The royal tombs from the prepalatial cemetery

The island was first excavated in 1908 by the American Richard Seager, who found a prepalatial cemetery on the western end of the island. He uncovered 20 built tombs, pithos burials and pit graves. On the Western tip of the island, he discovered two large tombs which he considered were used for the burial of members of the ruling elite. This view was based on the size of the tombs, the wealth of the grave goods and the fact that they had been constructed some distance from the other tombs. Most of the tombs were built in the EM II and used at least until EM III while a few seem to have been used during MM IA. Then they were abandoned, but brought back into use during the Neopalatial period. It wasn't until the 1970s, however, that Professor Jeffrey Soles drew detailed plans of the cemetery and identified all the tombs.

The eastern pillar crypt with original staircase
to the right of the picture

The main settlement is to be found on the south side of the island and its earliest buildings date from the EM IB period. By EM II the settlement had grown, probably due to an influx of settlers from central Crete. Among the attractions for settlers would have been the harbours situated on either side of the isthmus joining Mochlos to the mainland, the large plain which would have been suitable for agriculture. For 800 years civilisation here flourished and the area has become an important source of knowledge on the development of Minoan civilisation during this period.

Part of the LM I town

The main remains to be seen on the island today date from the LM I town, which extended across the isthmus to an area behind the modern village of Mochlos. The ceremonial centre lay to the north-west of the town. It was a three-storey building, with ahslar walls. Two pillar crypts were found on the ground floor at the east end of the building. The remains of a staircase leading from the pillar crypt to the upper floors can still be seen. The building also contained a kitchen and possibly a dining room. It was the largest building in the LM I town.

Part of the LM I town

Behind the modern town of Mochlos, excavations have uncovered two buildings of artisans' quarters dating back to LM IB. One building was used for bronze, ivory and stone vase making, while the other was used for pottery. Both buildings seem to have been inhabited and contained a shrine. Another LM IB building has been excavated at Chalinmouri at the eastern end of the coastal plain. Finally, an LM III cemetery has been exacavated. It contained 30 chamber tombs and was located on a hill opposite the site of the LM III settlement. The unlooted tombs each contained one or two burials, either in sarcophagi or pithoi. The fact that Mochlos was abandoned during LM I and never rebuilt, although the area was resettled during LM III, raises the question of its destruction.

The coastal plain, looking West, with the
island of Mochlos in the distance

Was Mochlos destroyed along with other centres of Minoan civilisation on the north coast of Crete by the eruption of the volcano on the island of Santorini? Certainly there is evidence of simultaneous destruction in many of these centres. The cause of that destruction remains controversial, however.

Much of the information contained on this page is taken from the excellent Mochlos web site, which has been created to detail the ongoing excavations led by Professor Jeffrey Soles and Costis Davaras. The Mochlos web site contains considerably more detail than this brief introduction. There is a link to the Mochlos web site on the links page.

Artisans' houses

On the mainland three rooms are all that remain visible from two or three artisans' houses. The houses were occupied in the LM IB period, around 1500 BCE to 1425 BCE. Pottery, stone vases, bronze objects and textiles were produced here for the local market. The largest part of the houses lies beneath the dirt track leading from the village of Mochlos to the new harbour. Only rooms 2, 10 and 11 can still be seen.

Room 10	Room 11 (left)
Room 11	Remains of Room 2