House ΙΙ.1
Τhis large two-storey Neopalatial building (ca 1650-1500 BC) measures more than 200 m2 in its preserved ground floor and it is the second building of this date which is thoroughly excavated at Petras. House II.1 has interesting architectural features, such as a light-well (1), a Minoan hall with a well preserved plaster floor (2), a staircase leading to the upper floor (3), partially carved in the bedrock, and ashlar blocks on the façade. During the last phase of occupation, in Late Minoan IB (15th c. BC.) this élite building was used for industrial activities, connected with wool dyeing and weaving, and was probably dependent on the palace, as several documents in Linear A script suggest (E). Τhe Minoan hall and the light-well were then equipped with a system of rock - cut mortars, connected with drains. A large number of movable mortars, and the associated pounders were probably used for the preparation of coloring materials; water was boiled in large tripod cooking pots (Α); various loom-weights (Β) came to light, some of them bearing the pictogram for cloth (Γ). To the north – northeast of the house there is an interesting and well preserved system of carvings on the bedrock, connected with drains, allowing for a continuous flow of water (4), necessary for this industrial activity.
The upper floor of the structure was used for habitation. It contained pottery of very good quality (Δ), stone vases and other artifacts, suggesting a high standard of living.
