The dragon houses ( el, Δρακόσπιτα, ''Drakospita'') or Draga (Δραγκά) are some twenty large, ruined buildings found in the south of the island of
Euboea
Evia (, ; el, Εύβοια ; grc, Εὔβοια ) or Euboia (, ) is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only at its narrowest poin ...
, Greece. They were built with massive stone blocks without mortar and large stone slabs for the roofs. The Dragon House on
Mount Ochi (Δρακόσπιτο της Όχης), north of
Karystos
Karystos ( el, Κάρυστος) or Carystus is a small coastal town on the Greek island of Euboea. It has about 5,000 inhabitants (12,000 in the municipality). It lies 129 km south of Chalkis. From Athens it is accessible by ferry via Mar ...
is the most famous and well preserved. Other notable buildings are located in Palli-Lakka (Πάλλη-Λάκκα Δραγκά) and in Kapsala. In local folklore "
dragons" are not only reptilian monsters but also beings with superhuman powers.
There is no accepted theory about the identity of the builders nor an agreed estimation on their dating. No mention is identified in classical texts and the first account is from the 18th-century British geologist, traveller and writer
John Hawkins
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
The first detailed account, after Hawkins was in 1842 by the German archaeologist H.N. Ulrichs.
The French classical scholar Jules Girard visited Euboea and described the Ochi dragon house, and provided further descriptions of the three Palli-Lakka Dragon houses
The Swiss archaeologist Karl Reber has tracked down all reported buildings and published a report in 2010.
[Reber K., '' The Dragon Houses of Styra: Topography, Architecture. and Function '', Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 10, 2010, No. 3, pp 53 -61]
(pdf)
)
Gallery
File: P1010868_Ochi-Drachenhaus_Blick_vom_nördlichen_Gipfel.jpg, on Ochi (north)
File: P1010878 Ochi Drachenhaus.jpg, on Ochi (south)
File: P1010843_Ochi-Drachenhaus_Eingangsbereich_von_innen.JPG, on Ochi (inside)
File: Drakospita_Palli-Lakka_Ost.JPG, Palli-Lakka (east)
File: Drakospita_Palli-Lakka_Nord.jpg, Palli-Lakka (north)
File:Drakospita Kapsala Euboea Greece.jpg, Kapsala
References
Ruins in Greece
Euboea
Buildings and structures in Central Greece
Megalithic monuments
{{Greece-stub