Listed 77 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "KISSAMOS Province CHANIA" .
AGRIA GRAMVOUSSA (Island) CHANIA
Imeri Gramvousa contains the remains of a Venetian castle (1579).
The castle, although built for 3,000 men, was never involved in a major battle.
The Venetians handed it over to the Turks in 1692 -- 23 years after Iraklion fell.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains images.
AMYGDALOKEFALI (Village) INACHORI
ELOS (Village) INACHORI
Elos is one of the most beautiful old villages of Kissamos. It is
surrounded by chestnut, and plane trees and has running springs through the village.
In the middle of the village there are some coffee shops in which to enjoy a cold
drink in the shade of the tall trees.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains images.
EPISKOPI (Village) CHANIA
Episkopi, Kissamos, is south of Kolimbari 32km from Chania on the
Chania - Kolimbari - Spilia - Episkopi road and it has one of the most fascinating
Byzantine bishopric churches of Crete.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
FALASSARNA (Beach) CHANIA
GRAMVOUSSA (Peninsula) CHANIA
The peninsula of Gramvousa occupies the northwest of Crete and near
its tip it has two islands, a good beach, an anchorage for small boats in bad
weather, and the remains of a large Venetian castle. You may go to Gramvousa by
organized boat trip from Kastelli or on foot. The boat trip is one hour long and
the views of the rugged coastline are terrific. The hike, although not hard or
long, can be very difficult during the summer months, when the sun and heat are
strong. During the spring the area is blanketed in flowers. To go on foot you
drive west and after the harbour turn right and follow the road towards Neo Horio
and Kaliviani. From Kaliviani the road continues north towards the Gramvousa Peninsula.
The road stops near a church where you can leave your car and the well-marked
footpath starts here. It goes towards the tip of the peninsula and then it turns
left, and after a while, left again. At this point you have an exceptional view
of the islands and the anchorage. The Venetian castle on the island of Imeri Gramvousa
is also visible. Further west you can see the island of Pondiconisi and on a clear
day, in the far northwest, you can see the silhouette of the island of Antikithira.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains images.
IMERI GRAMVOUSSA (Island) CHANIA
Imeri Gramvousa contains the remains of a Venetian castle (1579).
The castle, although built for 3,000 men, was never involved in a major battle.
The Venetians handed it over to the Turks in 1692 -- 23 years after Iraklion fell.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains images.
On the NW coast of Crete the west coast of the gulf of Kissamos projects
northwards and forms a promontory that the ancients named Korykos Akran.
West of this tongue of land are two small rocky islets. The one north
of the promontory is Agriogramvoussa, south of it and to the west is Gramvoussa
itself.
Due to its strategic location, Gramvoussa was fortified by the Venetians,
who built a well-fortified castle on the top of a steepy rock at an altitude of
137 m. Construction on the castle of Gramvoussa started in 1579 and ended in 1582.
It was destroyed in 1588, however, when thunder struck on the powder store.The
castle was rebuilt in 1630.
It was one of the three castles to remain under Venetian dominion
after the Turkish occupation of Crete (the other two were those of Sitia and Spinalonga).
Even though the castle was impregnable, during the Venetian-Turkish
war the Italian commandant was bribed by the Turks and he gave over the castle
in 1692.
During the Greek uprising against the Turks, Gramvoussa played an
important and desicive role. After many attempts the castle was finally occupied
by the Cretan revolutionaries in 1825, when a team of Cretans disguised as Turks
entered the castle. Gramvoussa was the first part of Crete to be liberated by
the Turks.
The rocky island became a shelter for over 3000 people, and a base
of operations for the revolution teams. But it also became a base of pirates that
plundered every ship that passed to the seas around the island, so with the agreement
of the Greek Government a English-French garrison took over the island of Gramvoussa
in 1828. Today, the high walls of the Gramvoussa are preserved, half ruined but
awesome.
Opposite the island of Gramvoussa is the wonderful beach of Balos.
This text is cited September 2004 from the Interkriti URL below, which contains images.
KALATHENES (Village) CHANIA
KEFALI (Village) INACHORI
The village of Kefali is 30km south of Kastelli on the Kastelli -
Kaloudiana - Topolia - Elos - Kefali road and 63km from Chania and has tavernas
and rooms to rent. The view from the village is superb. The village of Kefali
contains the Byzantine church of Sotiras Christos with high quality frescoes.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
KISSAMOS (Town) CHANIA
In the middle of the gulf of Kissamos, on the north coast of Crete,
is Kastelli 43km from Chania. Kastelli has a good beach with hotels and tavernas
in front of the town. A central Starting Point for excursions with several tourists
facilities in Kissamos is Kastelli, the capital of Kissamos. Travellers may find
Kastelli an enjoyable base for exploring the area of Kissamos. You can reach many
places on day trips from Kastelli. Kastelli, was a harbour of ancient Polirinia.
It became a very important independent city during Roman times. During the summer
months archaeological work is in progress in Kastelli and you can see remains
of second and third century mosaic floors behind the Health Centre. Other areas
in the city have revealed various Roman remains such as baths, villas, and tombs
that show the existence of a major ancient city.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
The name Kissamos is of pre-hellenic origin and it was the name of an ancient community that existed in the same place. The ancient Kissamos was a marine and commercial center of the Western Crete, and it was the port of the ancient town of polyrenia. Later, when it was occupied by the Romans ,a new theater and Roman villas were built on top of the old town. The city continued to prosper during the early Byzantine period when it was an episcopical seat. The Venetians built the wall that parts of it are still standing inside the city. The Venetian fortress, Castelo, was the special characteristic of the city and thus the city was named after it Kasteli. Because in Crete there are many towns with the name Kasteli, it was named Kasteli Kissamou.
KOLYMBARI (Municipality) CHANIA
KOLYMBARI (Village) CHANIA
Kolimbari is a village 24km from Chania on the Chania - Kastelli road
at the end of the bay of Chania and the beginning of the cape (hersonisos) of
Spatha. It is a small place that can be used to reach the fertile land of the
surrounding area, the interesting landscape and beaches, the large number of important
churches and monasteries of the area and to reach the archaeological site of Diktinna.
Kolimbari also played an important role in recent historical events. The new highway
from Kolimbari to Kastelli allows for fast travel to the next bay, Kolpos Kissamou
and the town of Kastelli. Traces of Minoan settlements have been found in several
places near Kolimbari, but no systematic excavation has been done yet. The Turks
first landed on Crete here, in 1645, and started occupation of the island. The
Greek Army landed here in 1897 to achieve the union of Crete with Greece, and
this was the reason for the start of the war of 1897 between Greece and Turkey.
Kolimbari can be used as a starting point for the trips to Diktinna by boat (Kolimbari,
Ellinospilios, Diktinna) to the monastery of Agios Ioannis Gionis (Kolimbari,
Rodopou, Agios Ioannis Gionis) and to Nopigia.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
There are traces of Minoan settlements found in several places near Kolybari, but no systematic Excavation has been done yet.
The Turks first landed on Crete here, in 1645, and started occupation of the island. The Greek Army landed here in 1897 to achieve Crete's union with Greece, and this was the reason for the start of the war in 1897 between Greece and Turkey.
Kolybari also has a large number of important churches and monasteries.
LOUSSAKIES (Village) KISSAMOS
Lousakies is 8km from Kastelli and 51km from Chania. In the area of
Lousakies there are two architecturally beautiful Byzantine churches.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
MENIES (Settlement) KOLYMBARI
Menies is in the northeast tip of the peninsula of Spatha. It has
major archaeological and historical significance since it was the site of ancient
Diktinna. Diktinna was the sanctuary of the Cretan god, Diktinna or Vritomartis,
who was worshipped mainly in western Crete.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
NEON CHORION (Village) VOUKOLIES
Neo Horio or Niohorio is 24km from Chania, following the Chania -
Kolimbari road and turning south before the Tavronitis bridge. The village has
an engaging Byzantine church.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
Neo Chorio has an engaging Byzantine church of Agios Nikolaos with frescoes.Among them are the paintings of the donor of the church. He is represented in a garden with the church in his hand. His hair is red-blond and his beard grey. He wears a black dress that comes to his knees. He has very narrow shoes of the same colour and on his head he wears a beret.
NOPIGIA (Settlement) MYTHIMNA
Nopigia is on the east side of the bay of Kastelli, right beside the
peninsula of Spatha, 36km from Chania on the Chania - Kastelli road. It has a
good beach, Byzantine churches, and it is the location of an ancient city.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
PERIVOLIA (Village) INACHORI
Perivolia ( = gardens ) was mentioned (Pashley, Travels in Crete, I, 18) as the PIEMONTE of the western Crete. There were many beautiful villas in the area. One of them owned by Moustafa Naili, was called "Selsebilia", a name of a water spring of the Muslim paradise, which was so beautiful that even the sultan Abdul Bezit (1850)was jealous of it. This significant monument of the Cretan history was destroyed by the Germans, during the German occupation, in order to be used as construction material.
PLATANES (Settlement) VOUKOLIES
Platanias is a village about 10 km's west from Chania, following the road towards Kissamos. It is situated by the mouth of the homonymous river Platanias (Iardanos river, Homer). At the river's shore there are many plane trees -platania - which explains the name of the village. In the Venetian inventories PLATANIAS is mentioned as Platanea and Pirgho Platanea, there were possibly two different settlements. Originally the village was built amphitheatrically on a high, rocky place with picturesque houses. Now it has spread to the sea-side.
POLYRRINIA (Village) CHANIA
At the first square after you enter Kastelli from the east, there
is a sign on the left for Polirinia, 7km. The important ancient city of Polirinia
is high and will give you a good view of the very beautiful countryside. There
is also an interesting Byzantine church there.
This extract is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
RODOPOS (Village) KOLYMBARI
The old village of Rodopou used to be one of the largest in the area.
It is 31km from Chania on the Chania - Kolimbari - Kastelli road, on a road north
after Kolimbari. From here there is a long and difficult road to Diktyna, and
a shorter road on which to go to the monastery of Agios Ioannis Gionis (Rigologos).
houses have traditional village characteristics and some remnants of Venetian
influence.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
ROKKA (Village) MYTHIMNA
Roka is an old traditional Kissamos village, 41km southeast of Chania
on the road south from Koleni, at 35km of the old Chania - Kissamos road. Above
the village there is a steep hill called Trouli.
On this hill there was a Venetian castle that the Venetians called Roka. At the
bottom of the hill is the Byzantine cave chapel of Agios Antonios. There is a
path to the summit which has some remains and a spectacular view.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains images.
SPILIA (Village) KOLYMBARI
Spilia is 26km from Chania on the Chania - Kolimbari - Spilia road.
In Spilia is the Byzantine church of the Panagia.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
TOPOLIA (Village) MYTHIMNA
Topolia is a lovely Kissamos village on the road south from Kaloudiana
to Paleohora, 47km from Chania, 16km from Kissamos. The area has a gorge, a cave
and several Byzantine churches.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
VATHI (Village) INACHORI
The village of Vathi (Kouneni) is on the way to Chrisoskalitissa,
32km south of Kastelli, and has two attractive Byzantine churches.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
The village's old name was Kouneni and lately was renamed to Vathi. It is believed that here was the exact location of the Roman city Innachorion.
VOUKOLIES (Municipality) CHANIA
VOULGARO (Village) MYTHIMNA
The village of Voulgaro is on the road south from Kaloudiana to Paleohora,
43km from Chania, 12km from Kissamos. In the area there are the engaging remains
of a Byzantine church.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
POLYRRINIA (Ancient city) CHANIA
The ruined walls and the acropolis of ancient Polirinia lie in a naturally fortified position, 49 km west of Chania, and 7km south of Kissamos.
Polirinia, an important ancient city of western Crete, was founded with the help of the Achaeans, who succeeded the Minoans as overlords of the island. The earliest findings date from the 6th century B.C..
DIKTINA (Ancient sanctuary) KOLYMBARI
Dictamnum (Diktamnon, Ptol. iii. 17. § 8), a town of Crete, which
Pomponius Mela (ii. 7. § 12), who calls it Dictynna, describes as being one of
the best known in Crete. It was situated to the N.E. of Mt. Dictynnaeus, and S.E.
of the promontory Psacum, with a temple to the goddess Dictynna. (Dicaearch. 13;
Stadiasm.; Scylax.) Mr. Pashley (Trav. vol. ii. p. 29) identifies the site with
a place called Kantsillieres, about 3 miles from the extremity of Cape Spadha.
Pococke (Trav. vol. ii. pt. i. pp. 244-245) has described the ruins, and speaks
of cisterns and columns existing in his time; and in this, his statement agrees
with that of the MS. of the 16th century which has been translated (Mus. Class.
Antiq. vol. ii. p. 299), and fixes the site at a place called St. Zorzo di Magnes,
12 miles W. of Canea and 6 from Cape Spadha, on a conspicuous elevation of a lofty
mountain. (Hock, Kreta, vol. ii. p. 158.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
ELEA (Ancient city) CHANIA
Elaea (Elaia, Ptol. v. 14. § 3), a promontory on the NE. coast of
Crete, which Pococke (Trav. vol. ii. p. 218) calls Chaule-burnau. (Comp. Engel,
Kypros, vol. i. p. 89.)
FALASARNA (Ancient city) CHANIA
ta Phalasarna : Eth. Phalasarnios. A town of Crete, situated on the
NW. side of the island, a little S. of the promontory Cimarus or Corycus, described
by Dicaearchus as having a closed--up port and a temple of Artemis called Dictynna.
Strabo says that Phalasarna was 60 stadia from Polyrrhenia, of which it was the
port-town; and Scylax observes that it is a day's sail across from Lacedaemon
to the promontory of Crete, on which is Phalasarna, being the first city to the
west of the island. (Strab. x. ; Scylax; Dicaearch. Descrip. Graec. 119; Steph.
B. s. v.; Plin. iv. 12. s. 20.) The Cydonians had at one time taken possession
of Phalasarna, but were compelled by the Romans to give it up. (Polyb. xxiii.
15.)
There are considerable remains of the walls of Phalasarna. They exist
in a greater or less degree of preservation, from its northern side, where it
seems to have reached the sea, to its south-western point, cutting off the acropolis
and the city along with it as a small promontory. There are other remains, the
most curious of which is an enormous chair on the SW. side of the city, cut out
of the solid rock; the height of the arms above the seat is 2 feet 11 inches,
and its other dimensions are in proportion. It was no doubt dedicated to some
deity, probably to Artemis. Near this chair there are a number of tombs, hewn
in the solid rock, nearly 30 in number.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited May 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
INACHORION (Ancient city) CHANIA
Inachorion. A city of Crete, which, from the similarity of sound, Mr. Pashley
is inclined to believe was situated in the modern district of Enneakhoria, on
the W. coast of Crete.
KEREA (Ancient city) MYTHIMNA
Cerea (Kerea, Steph. B. s. v. Bene; Suid. s. v. Hpianos: Eth. Kereates,
Polyb. iv. 53. § 6), a town of Crete, which from its mention by Polybius, and
from a coin with the epigraph KEPAITAN, and presenting the same type as those
of Polyrrhenia, has been inferred to have been in the neighbourhood of that town.
(Eckhel, vol. ii. p. 306; Hoeck, Kreta, vol. i. p. 392.)
KORYKOS (Ancient location) CHANIA
Corycus (Korukos, Ptol. iii. 17. § 2: Grabusa), the NW. promontory
of Crete. In Strabo the name appears as Cimarus (Kimaros, x. p. 474). Elsewhere
Strabo (xvii. p. 838) states that Corycus was the point whence the distances to
the several ports of Peloponnesus were measured: as Grabusa ends in two projecting
points, it is probable that the W. point was called Cimaros, the E. Corycus. We
learn from Pliny (iv. 20) that the islands which lie off this promontory were
called Corycae, and that part of the mass of rock which forms this point went
by the name of Mount Coryous. Ptolemy mentions a city of this name, and there
is a passage in which Juvenal (xiv. 267) mentions a Corycian vessel which evidently
belonged to this Cretan town. When the Florentine traveller Buondelmonte visited
the island in A.D. 1415, he found remains existing. (Cornelius, Creta Sacra, vol.
i. p. 87; Pashley, Trav. vol. ii. p. 74; Hoeck, Kreta, vol. i. p. 377.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited August 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
PERGAMOS (Ancient city) CHANIA
A town of Crete, to which a mythical origin was ascribed. According
to Virgil it was founded by Aeneas (Aen. iii. 133), according to Velleius Paterculus
(i. 1) by Agamemnon, and according to Servius by the Trojan prisoners belonging
to the feet of Agamemnon (ad Virg. Aen. l. c.). Lycurgus, the Spartan legislator,
was said to have died at this place, and his tomb was shown there in the time
of Aristoxenus. (Plut. Lyc. 32.) It is said by Servius to have been near Cydonia,
and is mentioned by Pliny (iv. 12. s. 20) in connection with Cydonia. Consequently
it must have been situated in the western part of the island, and is placed by
Pashley at Platania. (Travels in Crete, vol. ii. p. 23.) Scylax says (p. 18, Huds.)
that the Dictynnaeum stood in the territory of Pergamus.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
POLYRRINIA (Ancient city) CHANIA
Polurrhenia, (Ptol. iii. 17. § 10); Polurrhen, Poluren (Steph. B.
s. v.), corrected by Meineke into Polurrhenia; Pollurrhena (Scylax, p. 18), corrected
by Gail; Polurrhenion, (Zenob. Prov. v. 50); Polyrrhenium, (Plin. iv. 12. s. 20):
Eth. Polurrhenios (Polyb. iv. 53, 55; Strab. x. p. 479).
A town in the NW. of Crete, whose territory occupied the whole western
extremity of the island, extending from N. to S. (Scylax, p. 18.) Strabo describes
it as lying W. of Cydonia, at the distance of 30 stadia from the sea, and 60 from
Phalasarna, and as containing a temple of Dictynna. He adds that the Polyrrhenians
formerly dwelt in villages, and that they were collected into one place by the
Achaeans and Lacedaemonians, who built a strong city looking towards the south.
(Strab. x. p. 479.) In the civil wars in Crete in the time of the Achaean League,
B . C. 219, the Polyrrhenians, who had been subject allies of Cnossus, deserted
the latter, and assisted the Lyctians against that city. They also sent auxiliary
troops to the assistance of the Achaeans, because the Gnossians had supported
the Aetolians. (Polyb. iv. 53, 55.) The ruins of Polyrrhenia, called Palaeokastro,
near Kisamo-Kasteli, exhibit the remains of the ancient walls, from 10 to 18 feet
high. (Pashley, Crete, vol. ii. p. 46, seq.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
RAMNOUS (Ancient city) INACHORI
A harbour on the W. coast of Crete near the promontory Chersonesus. (Ptol. iii.
17. § 2.) Pliny, on the contrary, places it in the interior of the island (iv.
12. s. 20).
TEGEA (Ancient city) CHANIA
A town of Crete, which, according to legend, was founded by Agamemnon. The coins
which Sestini and Pellerin attributed to the Cretan Tegea have been restored by
Eckhel to the Arcadian city of that name.
VIENNOS (Ancient city) CHANIA
Eth. Biennios: Vianos. A small city of Crete which the coast-describer
(Geogr. Graec. Minor. ed. Gail, vol. ii. p. 495) places at some distance from
the sea, midway between Hierapytna and Leben, the most eastern of the two parts
of Gortyna. The Blenna of the Peutinger Table, which is placed at 30 M. P. from
Arcadia, and 20 M. P. from Hierapytna, is no doubt the same as Biennus. In Hierocles,
the name of this city occurs under the form of Bienna. The contest of Otus and
Ephialtes with Ares is said to have taken place near this city. (Homer, Il. v.
315; Steph. B. s. v.) From this violent conflict the city is said to have derived
its name. Mr. Pashley, in opposition to Dr. Cramer, who supposes that certain
ruins said to be found at a considerable distance to the E. of Haghii Saranta
may represent Biennus, fixes the site at Vianos, which agrees very well with the
indications of the coast-describer. (Pashley, Travels, vol. i. p. 267.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
TEGEA (Ancient city) CHANIA
A town in Crete, said to have been founded by Agamemnon.
FALASARNA (Ancient city) CHANIA
KISSAMOS (Ancient city) CHANIA
CHERSONISSOS (Ancient city) INACHORI
KISSAMOS (Town) CHANIA
Cisamus, a titular see of Crete.
Kisamos, or Kissamos, was a harbour on the north-west coast of Crete
in a bay of the same name, and served Aptera
as a port of entry.
The see still exists, and is suffragan to Candia. During the occupation
of the island by the Venetians there was also a Latin see subject to Gortyna
and Candia.
Kissamos, or Kissamo Kasteli, is now a little port frequented only
by coasting boats.
S. Petrides, ed.
Transcribed by: Douglas J. Potter
This extract is cited June 2003 from The Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent online edition URL below.
DIKTINA (Ancient sanctuary) KOLYMBARI
Temple of Diktynna on E side of what was the Tityros peninsula in
antiquity, 4 km SE of Cape Spatha (ancient Psakon). On N side of Menies Bay a
sheer cliff provides a sheltered anchorage; on SW side is a small coastal plain
at the mouth of two streams which join just above; on S side a short peninsula,
20 m high, projects N, with two descending flat terraces. On the lower N terrace
is the main temple of Diktynna.
The site is clearly identified (Stad. 340-42 and inscriptions). Herodotos
(3.59) ascribes the building of the temple to the Samians at Kydonia (ca. 524-519),
but it was probably not the first temple. The site was probably controlled originally
by Kydonia (but see Skylax 47), probably by Polyrrhenia in early 3d c. (cf. ICr
II. 131-3 no. 1), certainly by Kydonia in the 2d-early 1st c., and by Polyrrhenia
after the Roman conquest of Kydonia (69 B.C.). This was the scene of the miraculous
passing of Apollonios of Tyana (1st c. A.D.: Philostr. VA 8.30). The site is otherwise
mentioned only by geographers (Skylax 47; Strab. 10.4.12,13; Pompon. Mela, 2.113;
Ptol. 3.15.5; Rav. Cosm. 5.21). Possible civic status (and issue of coins) in
the Roman period is a matter of dispute.
The sanctuary seems to have flourished especially under Hadrian and
his successors, when the road down the peninsula to the sanctuary was built or
rebuilt (it can be traced still in places along the peninsula, 6 m wide, and winding
down to Menies with concrete terrace walls). The work was financed from the temple
treasury, as were other public works in Crete in the 2d c. (an indication of its
wealth). To the Hadrianic period, and perhaps connected with an imperial visit
to Crete, belongs the temple of which scanty remains have been found (1942): amphiprostyle
(14 x less than 33.50 m: Welter & Jantzen; 9.17 x 27.80 m: Faure) and apparently
of rather hurried workmanship, with an altar to the SW, it stood in a paved courtyard
surrounded on the three seaward sides by stoas resting on the retaining walls
of the terrace (55 x 50 m), and on the SW side by the higher terrace, approached
by steps, on which lies a row of four massive cisterns (20.10 x 11.75 m overall).
Pieces of a Doric peripteral temple, apparently planned in the Augustan period
but not erected, were reused in the Hadrianic temple; the terrace probably goes
back to the earlier period. By the entrance propylon at the W corner of the terrace
is a Roman storage building. To the SW of this and W of the cisterns may lie the
site of an earlier (late 7th c.) temple. Of this and of the late 6th c. temple
only sima fragments have been found, but excavation was limited to Roman levels;
the earliest find is a 9th c. sherd.
In the valley below to the W and by the bay are remains (Hadrianic
or later) of buildings to accommodate pilgrims, smaller houses, an odeum (?),
and an agora complex (?) with a room for the imperial cult. There are remains
of an aqueduct.
D. J. Blackman, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
FALASARNA (Ancient city) CHANIA
Barely mentioned by ancient authors except geographers, who refer
to it as the westernmost city of Crete and mention its enclosed harbor ([Scylax]
47; Dion. Call. 119ff). The city served also as one port of Polyrrhenia, 60 stades
inland across a range of hills, but it was never dependent on Polyrrhenia.
The city is mentioned only once by a historical source (Polyb. 22.55),
when Appius Claudius made Kydonia restore its independence (184 B.C.). Very little
can be gleaned from inscriptions. With Spartan mediation, the city made a treaty
with Polyrrhenia in the early 3d c., when Spartan influence was strong in W Crete.
It reached the zenith of its prosperity in that century, the period when the city
walls were probably constructed. There is evidence of good relations with Egypt
later in the century. The city is not mentioned after the 2d c., when Kydonia
became the predominant power in the area; it may well have been a pirate base
in the 2d-1st c. It is not listed in the Notitiae Dignitatum and by the later
Roman period the site may have been uninhabited. It seems to have had a temple
of Diktynna (Dion. Call. loc. cit.), and perhaps one of Apollo by the harbor (Stad.
336). Coins were struck in the 4th-3d c., showing a trident or dolphin and female
head (Diktynna, Aphrodite, or the eponymous nymph Phalasarne).
The earliest remains found so far are 6th c., the latest are Roman;
they were first fully described by Pashley. The city lies on a high, rocky cape
projecting W, and settlement later extended onto the isthmus (some 500 m wide)
below to the E. The acropolis falls away sheer into the sea on the N and W sides,
and slopes steeply on the landward (E) side, up which runs one difficult path.
The top, some 100 m high, is divided into a smaller N and larger S knoll by a
deep cleft and saddle, where Spratt thought he could see a temple. On top there
are remains of towers and other poorly preserved buildings; some walls appear
to belong to temples. There is no spring on the acropolis but several cisterns
on its slopes. On the E slope are retaining walls of terraces with house foundations,
some rock-cut. At the foot of this slope the city wall ran across the isthmus,
with projecting rectangular towers and perhaps a second wall line 5 m inside to
the W. The wall also ran round the harbor and SE to the coast; SW of the harbor
it is poorly preserved.
Spratt first made comprehensible the ruins of the lower city, by establishing
that this part of the coast has been uplifted 6-7 m since the Classical period
(and herein may lie the cause of the city's decline or abandonment in the later
Roman period, perhaps the 4th and/or 6th c.). Thus he first identified the enclosed
harbor (now some 100 m inland from the S side of the isthmus), which with its
entrance channel and the bare rock on either side lies now well above sea level,
with a solution notch clearly visible across the rocks marking the ancient shoreline.
(For the same reason the city wall at its N end stops well short of the modern
coastline.) The harbor basin, established in the shelter of the acropolis, is
now filled in; it formed an irregular hexagon (ca. 60 x 70 m) with its entrance
on the SW side, and was surrounded by walls with towers projecting inwards and
outwards. The rock-cut entrance channel is an enlarged natural fissure, irregular
in course and 10 m wide, now filled with earth and stones. West of this and just
above the ancient shoreline is a rock cutting, perhaps a small dock or water channel.
The bays on either side of the isthmus are too exposed to be good harbors.
Other remains of the city E of the wall are still poorly understood
(much less is visible now than when Spratt visited the site). No temple sites
can be clearly identified. The most striking features are the large rectangular
chambers cut in the sandstone, probably used as basements of houses or storerooms
after quarrying. Southeast of the city, behind the coastal dunes, lies a necropolis
with rock-cut and cist graves; most have been looted, but some produced 4th c.
and Hellenistic pottery. Three rock-cut thrones are also visible, perhaps intended
for the dead. East of the city another necropolis has recently been found, with
pithos burials (early 6th to early 5th c.) and Early Hellenistic cist graves.
In the plain S of the city Roman cisterns, walls, and graves have been found.
D. J. Blackman, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
KISSAMOS (Ancient city) CHANIA
The existence of two cities of this name on the N coast of Crete on
either side of Kydonia is proved by the Peutinger Table, which mentions both and
puts this one 8 miles E of Kydonia. This one must be the Kisamos referred to by
Strabo (10.4.13) as the harbor of Aptera. Although it is usually located at or
close to Kalyves, 4.5 km E-SE of Aptera, where Roman and later sherds have been
found, a strong case has now been made for locating it at Kalami, on the coast
by the former Fort Izzedin, immediately below Aptera and just inside (W of) the
now sunken porporella (the Venetian harbor defense mole). Kalami is 8 miles (12.8
km) from Kydonia, nearer to Aptera than Kalyves and more sheltered, and has house
foundations, traces of quays, and Classical as well as Roman sherds. A dependency
of Aptera, the city had no history of its own. (The Kalyves site may be ancient
Tanos.)
D. J. Blackman, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
POLYRRINIA (Ancient city) CHANIA
Hill-top site 5.5 km S of Kastelli Kisamou. It was more important
than surviving sources make clear. Literary references to the site are few except
by the geographers: e.g. Skylax 47; Strabo 10.4.13. Polybios (4.53, 55, 61) provides
details of several historical incidents. Inscriptions add a little.
According to tradition (Strabo, loc. cit.), Achaean and Laconian immigrants
settled in one city the existing population, which lived in villages. This could
refer to a foundation at the end of the 2d millennium or as late as the 8th c.
Apart from possible slight traces of LM III occupation (cf. the tradition of Agamemnon's
visit on his voyage home from Troy), the earliest pottery found so far is archaic.
In the Classical period the city was a major power in W Crete, a city of tough
mountain warriors, hunters, and herdsmen. It used the ports of Kisamos and Phalasarna,
30 and 60 stades away (Strabo, correctly). Phalasama remained independent throughout,
but Kisamos probably became independent only in the 3d c. A.D. Polyrrhenia allied
itself with Phalasarna in the early 3d c. B.C. with Spartan mediation, honored
a Spartan king ca. 273, and probably supported Sparta in the Chremonidean war
(267/6-261). It supported Lyttos against Knossos and Gortyn in 220-219 and after
the destruction of Lyttos continued the struggle with Macedonian and Achaean help,
successfully detaching other W Cretan cities from alliance with Knossos (Polyb.
loc. cit.). By 201 it seems to have ceased to support Macedon, and soon showed
pro-Roman feeling, honoring Scipio Hispallus (189), clearly as a result of a visit,
and joining the alliance with Eumenes (183). It remained prosperous in the 2d
c., but lost to Kydonia its preeminence in W Crete. It therefore supported the
Roman conquest of Crete and was favorably treated: it continued to strike coins
and gained (or perhaps regained) control of the Diktynnaion. In the Imperial period
it seems to have declined in importance; Kisamos seems to have been still dependent
in the 2d c. but independent from the 3d. Polyrrhenia is not heard of after the
3d c.; the site was reoccupied probably early in the second Byzantine period (late
10th c.). Coins were struck from the 4th c. B.C. to the Roman period; the most
distinctive feature is the city symbol--the bucranium. The city's territory was
extensive in W Crete, "from the north to the south (coast)" ([Scylax]
47), though it only certainly controlled the S part of the W coast and a stretch
of the N coast.
The city lay in a naturally fortified position--on an isolated steep
hill surrounded by ravines, dominating the valley approach from Kisamos. The ancient
city covered the whole lower (SW) part of the hill, which slopes up NE to a steep
summit, the ancient acropolis (418 m), with a lower spur beyond to the N. The
visible fortifications around the hill and acropolis have clearly been much repaired
and rebuilt in the second Byzantine and Venetian periods and the wall round the
N spur and that along the S side of the acropolis (facing the city) seem to be
entirely of those periods. But the ancient wall line can be traced on the N and
NW sides of the acropolis and the NW side (with two towers) and SE side (with
a gate) of the city; the line is totally lost on the SW side. These walls probably
date from Early Hellenistic times, with repairs and additions in antiquity (e.g.
the tower W of the village). The city was provided with water through at least
two rock-cut aqueducts terminating on the W side of the modern village, with a
cave nearby containing evidence of a cult of the Nymphs. A number of cisterns
(perhaps all Byzantine or later) are visible in the acropolis or lower city; apart
from these, few remains survive within the acropolis. On the N spur remains of
a sanctuary may lie under the later chapel.
In the city area the main concentration of ancient remains lies on
a terrace near the center, by the ruined chapel of the 99 Saints. Excavations
in 1938 revealed a building of good Early Hellenistic construction (60.65 x 6.73
m), a stoa or perhaps a monumental altar bordering on the N a structure that was
possibly a temple, not yet proved but indicated by the many inscribed blocks reused
in the chapel: these include some honorific inscriptions and statue bases, and
a large number of blocks bearing a mass of personal names, clearly inscribed by
individuals (almost all Polyrrhenians) coming to the temple (3d-1st c. B.C.).
Few remains have been found of houses: only some rock-cut foundations. Sherds
from the site cover the archaic to Roman periods, and the second Byzantine period
on (especially on the acropolis).
In the valley below to the E, at Sto Yero Kolymbo, are the poorly
preserved remains of a small two-roomed building, probably a temple of the 3d
c. B.C., with a bench across the rear wall of the cella. Inscribed blocks from
a round structure reportedly found at Kappadoki probably derive from another sanctuary.
None of the temples can be identified. The main necropolis lay on the lower W
slopes of the hill at Ston Kharaka, with built tombs, and rock-cut graves and
chamber tombs beyond. Another necropolis lay between the city and Kisamos. In
both necropoleis all the tombs have been looted: none appears to have been earlier
than 4th c. B.C.
J. D. Blackman, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
Receive our daily Newsletter with all the latest updates on the Greek Travel industry.
Subscribe now!
