Medieval Tower of Tatiza #1259

Description

This tower, known as the Tower of Tatiza, was included in lists of Boeotian towers by 20th-century researchers, such as Lock (1986), but its exact location had been forgotten, and no photographs of it existed until more recently.

The Tower of Tatiza is one of many isolated towers scattered across Boeotia. These towers are thought to have been built by the Franks in the 13th or 14th century. Their exact purpose remains unclear, as they do not seem to have been part of a larger defensive network. Most likely, they served as watchtowers or residences for local landlords.

This particular tower stood at the edge of a settlement called "Tatiza." The settlement was abandoned in the 18th century after an epidemic struck, killing both children and livestock, prompting the remaining residents to relocate to the nearby village of Xironomi.

The tower’s dimensions were 8.00 by 7.20 meters, with walls 1.65 meters thick.

The northern wall is preserved to a height of 2.05 meters, and the western wall to 1.62 meters. The other walls are even more deteriorated, barely reaching 45 centimeters in height in some places.

No openings are visible in the remaining structure. In towers of this type, the entrance was typically located on the second floor.