Mitato (, archaic form: , from , "to measure off/to pitch camp") is a term meaning "shelter" or "lodging" in Greek. Appearing in the 6th century, during the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

period it referred to an

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

or trading house for foreign merchants, akin to a

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...

. By extension, it could also refer to the legal obligation of a private citizen to billet state officials or soldiers. Alternatively, in the 10th century,

Constantine Porphyrogenitus Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Byzantine emperor of the Macedonian dynasty, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina, an ...

uses the term to refer to state-run ranches in

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

. In modern Greece, and especially on the mountains of

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

, a ''mitato'' (in the plural ''mitata'') is a hut built from locally gathered stones to provide shelter to

shepherds A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

, and is used also for cheese-making.

Mount Ida In Greek mythology, two sacred mountains are called Mount Ida, the "Mountain of the Goddess": Mount Ida in Crete, and Mount Ida in the ancient Troad region of western Anatolia (in modern-day Turkey), which was also known as the '' Phrygian Ida' ...

(also called Mount Psiloritis) in central Crete is particularly rich in flat stones suitable for dry stone construction.Sabine Ivanovas, ''Where Zeus Became a Man (with Cretan Shepherds)'', Efsthiadis Group Editions, 2000, 183 p. (Life in the corbelled dry stone huts of central Crete).

References

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Cabanes d'estive (''mitata'') des environs d'Anogia en Crète centrale (Grèce)
(Summer shepherding huts (mitata) in the vicinity of Anogia in central Crete, Greece) {{Huts Byzantine secular architecture Byzantine law Crete Mountain huts Vernacular architecture Pastoral shelters

See also

References

External links