Vrokastro Settlement

Atop a steep peak, naturally fortified and close to Kalo Chorio , province Mirabelo , and above the beaches of Istron , we meet the ruins of the Late Minoan settlement of Vrokastro . This settlement belongs to the dozens of settlements of the Dark Period of Crete (1200BC), after the destruction of the Minoan civilization, when settlements were founded on the most inhospitable and inaccessible peaks of the Cretan mountains.

Vrokastro was firstly excavated in 1912 by Edith Hall Dohan and the works revealed a fortified town with strong walls, which in some places supported homes, with streets and alleys. The settlement was divided into two neighborhoods with some buildings scattered in between.

A shrine of the 8th century BC was also found and several tombs. Vrokastro developed strong relations with Central Crete and the Aegean, due to the proximity to the sea.

It is believed to have been inhabited till the Hellenistic years, because of some findings (potsherds) with black paint that was used then.