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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.

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
The three pillar hall, room 15, with room 17 to the right
Room 17
The three pillar hall seen from the west
Room 15 from the south east
Room 17, foreground right; room 16 foreground left; long room 14, far left and room 15
The long room, 14a and 14b
Slot in the side of a wall in room 10