The Minoan (2000-1400 BC) ruins here, as at Phaistos, occupy a magnificent site (its ancient name is unknown) overlooking Messarás Plain and Bay. The ruins include a palace, which may have been the residence of a dignitary or a relative of the princes of Phaistos, and a Mycenaean Village (1375-1100 BC) in which the agora was bordered by a portico with shops.