LAUSR

Topographical missions at Lato II (2005-2007): A study of the urban morphology. Situated on the Mirabello massif, on a strategic mid-mountain site at the passage between central and eastern Crete, the village of Lato is characterised both by a remarkable geomorphological profile and by an excellent state of preservation. Three campaigns of prospection and study of its geomorphological contours, carried out between 2005 and 2007, made it possible to identify the specificities of its urban morphology, the recurrent patterns of building sites, the organisation of its defensive system, the modes of circulation within the village, and its articulation in regards to its territory. Taken together, these characteristics allow for an understanding of the central and organisational role of the city, which knew how to make the most of its demanding topographical conditions to provide Lato with an efficient and homogeneous organisation.