Listed 7 sub titles with search on: History for wider area of: "LASSITHI Prefecture CRETE" .
AGIOS NIKOLAOS (Town) LASSITHI
The history of Agios Nikolaos begins in ancient times when it was
the port for Lato, a powerful city during Hellenistic times. The harbour was still
used during Roman times and the first Byzantine period although its importance
had diminished. After this, it disappeared from history only to reappear in 1206
when the Genoans built the fortress of Mirabelo and gave its name to the town
and bay. An earthquake destroyed the fortress and no trace of it remains. In the
sixteenth century, the Venetians gave the town its current name, taken from the
chapel of Agios Nikolaos on the peninsula of Limena. During the Turks' rule the
town was uninhabited and only after 1870 did people move here, mainly to escape
from Turkish persecution.
This text is cited Feb 2003 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains images.
IERAPYTNA (Ancient city) IERAPETRA
The ancient city of Ierapytna (a Doric name) stood on the site of
present day Ierapetra. It was in a strategic location on the shortest north-to-south
axis of Crete, but it had strong rival cities, Praisos to its east and Viannos
to its west. Praisos was the most powerful town of eastern Crete in about 300
B.C., but Ierapytna destroyed it in 155 B.C. and became itself the city with the
most land under its sovereignty in all Crete. It resisted Roman invasion and was
the last Cretan city the Romans conquered. After surrendering, Ierapytna became
an important port due to its proximity to Egypt. Ierapetra maintained its importance
during the first Byzantine period, but was destroyed by the Arabs. The Venetians
built the fortress and harbour and in 1626, they enlarged and reinforced it. Recently,
the castle was restored by the city.
In 1647, the Turks captured the town. You can still see remnants of their occupation
in the old town near the harbour, such as the remains of a Turkish fountain in
front of a derelict mosque (now being renovated). According to legend, Napoleon
spent the night here on his way to Egypt in 1798.
This text is cited Feb 2003 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
ITANOS (Ancient city) ITANOS
Itanos was an important settlement from Minoan times until the Christian
era. It was particularly powerful during the Greek era and it was flourishing
by the seventh century B.C. Itanos was continuously at war with its neighbours,
originally with Praisos, and when Ierapytna destroyed Praisos, Itanos was at war
with Ierapytna. An important reason for the conflict was dispute over the control
of the Temple of Zeus in Palaikastro. The inscription in the monastery of Toplou
shows that the two cities asked for the arbitration of Magnesia of Asia Minor
in 132 B.C. in order to resolve the conflict.
This text is cited Mar 2003 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains images.
KOUFONISSI (Island) LEFKI
XEROKAMBOS (Settlement) LEFKI
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