Dragon Houses of Palli-Lakka

The Drakospita of Palli-Lakka near Styra, Euboea, are megalithic buildings of the Classical and early Hellenistic periods. Local people call them ‘dragon houses’ because the size of the stones seemed impossible for humans to move, especially to such remote, craggy places. The walls are made of enormous, perfectly cut blocks set without mortar, held only by their own weight. The stones converge as they rise, leaving a long opening in the centre of the roof for light and for smoke from the hearth. Most buildings are rectangular, but at the Styra complex there is also one circular example. The ancient city of Styra was founded by the Dryopes, probably around the middle of the 13th century BC. The best-preserved dragon house stands on the summit of Mount Ochi (1,398 metres). Their construction is dated to roughly the 5th century BC.