Although archaeologists never discovered a palace equal to that of Knossos, they did find three large villas contemporary with the great palaces.
Archaeologists offer several theories regarding the site.
One of these is that Tilisos was a staging area on the route west towards other Minoan centres. The three villas are labelled A, B, and C for easier identification. House A is the best-preserved with a court in the centre. A window illumines what remains of the staircase. The storerooms on the north side contain large reconstructed pithari.