The archaeological site is located inside modern Tylisos, which retains to this day its Minoan name. Its history starts from the pre-palatial period. It flourished from the 16th to the 14th century BC, when it was destroyed by fire. Excavations began in the early 20th century, and restoration work in 1954.
The excavations revealed three monumental houses with many rooms and mural paintings, halls with multiple doors, characteristic of Minoan architecture, auxiliary spaces, warehouses, large storage jars, and linear A inscriptions, as well as water supply and sewage system. Archaeologists also discovered clay aqueduct pipes and a paved square with an altar and a portico. Copper cauldrons and a bronze figurine are testaments to the remarkable metallurgical activity of the Minoan period.