Plati

The settlement of Plati is one of the most historic settlements of the Plateau, as it is of great archaeological interest. In 1913, following the recommendation of Iosif Chatzidakis, excavations were made next to the village by R.M. Dawkins of the English School of Archaeology. Three Minoan buildings, Late Minoan I and newer from the Greek era, were discovered.

Historical data

Unfortunately, the destruction of the buildings was such that it was not possible to completely shape their layout. But the fact is that the area was inhabited from the Late Minoan I period to the Late Minoan III period and after centuries of abandonment it was re-inhabited during the Greek period. The buildings of the different periods succeeded one another on the same site.

The most interesting period is Late Minoan III. During this period there was a Π-shaped square, quite spacious. Around it were three complexes of buildings, symmetrically placed towards the North, South and East. During the Greek period, the square was covered by new poorly constructed buildings.

The urban placement of the buildings is wonderful. If these three complexes were residences belonging to different owners, we have before us a completely original settlement, different in plan from those that have been excavated to date. However, if they were parts of one and the same building with the central courtyard in the center, then it is a palace similar to the well-known palaces of Knossos.

It was mentioned by the historian Castrofilaca (Κ104) as Mettocchio Plati de Sachielari in 1583, by Basilicata as Plati Metochio in 1630 (Monuments of Cret. Hist. V, p.29), in the Turkish census of 1671 as Plati with 15 families (N Stavrinidis, Translations, B’, p.136), and in the Egyptian census of 1834 as Plati with 25 Christian families (Pashley, Travels in Crete, II, 321).

Population trend according to the censuses:

Census	1881	1900	1920	1928	1940	1951	1961	1971	1981	1991	2001
Population	279	333	274	361	396	382	334	288	222	288	167