Sklavokambos
Sklavokambos was a late Minoan village a few miles south-west of Tylissos.
The only building which can still be seen is a Minoan country house by the
side of the road which leads to Anoyeia, which was destroyed by fire in Lm
IB. The country house was excavated in the 1930s when the road was being constructed.
The entrance to the building was through a double doorway in the east side.
Within the entrance to the building a number of objects were found which had
fallen from the floor above. These included 39 sealings, a clay foot, a stone
hammer and a cylindrical vessel. The main room contained a stone rhyton, a
clay ox head and a jug decorated in the LM IB palatial style. Again, some
of these finds may have fallen through from the upper floor which it is though
contained a cult area. These finds show that the occupants of the country
house had contacts across Crete. One seal impression has also been found as
far away as Zakros, Gournia and, in the opposite direction, Ayia Triada.
From the left, rooms 6 and 7, thought to be a staircase, and room 8, thought to be the house shrine.
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Rooms 6 and 7 may have been a saircase, while room 8 (see photo) was considered
to be the house shrine because a charcoal layer and a geat number of cups
were found here. To the west of the staircase were the storerooms, (rooms
11 and 12, see first photo below). It was not possible to get into the south-west
part of the building from any of the north rooms. One had to leave the building
and follow a path round to the south side where there was a separate entrance.
In the centre of the building was a hall with three pillars. At least it
is assumed that there were only three pillars as only the remains of three
pillars exist today. It is not in fact known if there was a fourth, north-east
pillar, or if, indeed, it was possible to enter this area from the north rooms
in Minoan times. Some pottery and neolithic axes were found in these rooms,
but nothing else of note.
The building is not as sophisticated as those at Tylissos, just down the
road. It did not have frescoes or gypsum finishing, but the country house
was solidly built if somewhat cruder than those at Tylissos.
The store rooms: room 12 and room
11 behind
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The three pillar hall, room 15, with room 17 to the right
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Room 17
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The three pillar hall seen from
the west
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Room 15 from the south east
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Room 17, foreground right; room
16 foreground left; long room 14, far left and room 15
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The long room, 14a and 14b
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Slot in the side of a wall in room 10
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