At least two and perhaps three architectural phases are noted at Vathypetro. The original phase structure was a combined administrative, ritual, residential, and banquet hall, but after the destruction, most of the rooms were used for domestic agriculture and industrial production.
One late addition is a tripartite shrine, thought to represent a Minoan period cult room located within the villa and aligned to sunrise on the 21st of October during the Late Minoan period. This astronomical alignment is similar to that seen at the west wing of the Mycenaean palace at Malia, and researchers Blomberg and Henriksson surmise this is evidence of the growing power of the Mycenaeans during this period.
Vathypetro was excavated by Spyridon Marinatos during the 1940s and 1950s. Investigations of the architectural alignments have been completed by the University of Uppsala.
Sources
More information on Vathypetro may be found Ian Swindale's page on Vathypetro.
Blomberg, Mary and Göran Henriksson 2005 Orientations of the Late Bronze Age villa complex at Vathypetro in Crete. Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 5(1):51-61.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.