Listed 67 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "SITIA Province LASSITHI" .
AGIA TRIADA (Village) LEFKI
The Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) Community is 35 km from the town of
Sitia at the end of the plateau of Ziros, with a population of 156. Long ago,
the village was called Tso and today it is named after the Cathedral. Despite
the 8 km distance from the sea, its residents are very good fishermen. The Agia
Triada Community includes the smaller communities of Dasonari, Livari, Achladi,
Stalos and Amigdali. The archaeological search gave many indications of ancient
features especially in Stalos where a Minoan settlement and some vaulted tombs
were brought to light. In the area of Livari there is a Minoan cave the Alogara.
This text is cited September 2004 from the Interkriti URL below.
CHAMEZI (Village) SITIA
The Minoan site of Hamezi is 10km west of Sitia. The archaeological
site is southwest of the village.
CHANDRAS (Village) LEFKI
The village of Handras is 29.5km south of Sitia on the Sitia - Piskokefalo
- Epano Episkopi - Handras road, and in the area are various Venetian, Turkish,
and Byzantine remains.
ETIA (Settlement) LASSITHI
The village of Etia is 31km south of Sitia on the Sitia - Piskokefalo
- Epano Episkopi - Papagiannades - Etia road. In the area of Etia there are some
important Venetian remains and Byzantine churches.
Etia is a small settlement situated in the Municipality of Lefki.
It's 2 klm away from the village of Papagianades driving to the village of Armeni.
In a Venetian census was recorded with a population of 564. The village
of Etia was at peak of its power around the Venetian occupation and from the presence
of the St. John and St. Aikaterini churches one assumes that the village also
existed through the Byzantine period as well.
The village used to be private property of the De Mezzo family, a
venetian family, where they built their three-storeyed house, the Seragio Serai
House, which used to host Turkish officers as well during the Turkish occupation
and can be seen nowadays. This House is considered to be one of the most important
samples of the Venetian architecture in Crete.
The church of St. Aikaterini used to be occupied by the Turks as a
mosque until the Cretan revolution in 1897.
At the south of village of Etia there is the hill of Etiani Kefala
at an altitude of 715 m. where it used to be a sacred place but unfortunately
nowadays looted.
This text is cited September 2004 from the Interkriti URL below.
EXO MOULIANA (Village) SITIA
The village of Exo Mouliana is 13km west of Sitia on the Sitia - Agios
Nikolaos road. The fourteenth century Byzantine church of Afentis Christos (Metamorphosis)
is here.
KOUFONISSI (Island) LEFKI
LITHINA (Village) MAKRYS GIALOS
The village of Lithines is 25km south of Sitia on the road Sitia -
Piskokefalo - Epano Episkopi - Lithines, and 37km east of Ierapetra on the road
Ierapetra - Makrigialos - Lithines. The area near Lithines has some interesting
Byzantine churches.
MOCHLOS (Village) LASSITHI
Mochlos is a small fishing village between Agios Nikolaos and Sitia.
It is one of the few parts of the coast accessible in this region, but even then
only after travelling over 6km of dirt roads. The easiest entrance is from Sfaka
30km from Sitia and 40km from Agios Nikolaos on the main road. Mochlos has extensive
Minoan remains.
PALEKASTRO (Small town) ITANOS
PANO EPISKOPI (Settlement) SITIA
The village of Epano Episkopi is 12km south of Sitia, on the Sitia
- Piskokefalo - Epano Episkopi road. In Epano Episkopi is the Byzantine church
of Panagia, Agios Georgios, and Agios Ioannis.
PISKOKEFALO (Village) SITIA
Piskokefalo is 4km south from Sitia. The wider area includes the villages
of Kato Episkopi and Zou, in which there are Byzantine churches and minor Minoan
sites. Before the village, on the west side of the road, there is a Minoan villa.
SITIA (Town) LASSITHI
In Sitia there was a Neolithic and a Minoan site. In the location
Petras, near the town, excavations that started in 1985 under the Greek archaeologist,
Tsipopoulou, have so far revealed a major Minoan settlement with Palatial-style
buildings, fortification walls, and many artefacts including a Linear A tablet.
The site was destroyed by an earthquake, abandoned in the New Palace Period, and
reoccupied later.
In Greek times, Itia was the harbour of Praisos. References to the city in the
third century B.C. refer to its citizens as Setians. When Praisos was destroyed
by Ierapytna, Itia became the capital of the Praisian state.
There were fortifying walls around the city of Sitia from the Byzantine period.
These fortifications were restored by the Genoese and by the Venetians but were
never very strong. In 1539, the pirate Barbarosa conquered the city and levelled
the forts and the town. When the Turks invaded the island the Venetians destroyed
the fort so that it would not fall into the hands of Turks. The ruins of a Venetian
castle are still visible today. A tower of three storeys has survived. North of
the fort there is a little chapel built from the ruins of a Venetian monastery
destroyed by the Turks.
This extract is cited Mar 2003 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains images.
VAI (Beach) LASSITHI
Vai is 25km east of Sitia, on the east coast of Crete, and is the site of Europe's only indigenous wild date palm grove.
ZAKROS (Village) ITANOS
Continue south from Palaikastro to Zakros, 20km away. You will travel
through some very delightful low mountains. The village of Zakros is 40km from
Sitia near the middle of the east coast of Crete. There are Byzantine churches
in the area and the wider area of Zakros has a major Minoan site in a beautiful
setting around a gorge.
This text is cited Mar 2003 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
ZIROS (Village) LEFKI
The village of Ziros is 30km south of Sitia on the Sitia - Piskokefalo
- Epano Episkopi - Handras - Ziros road. There are a number of Byzantine churches
in the area. Agios Nikolaos, another church in the village, is full of frescoes
and was one of the last churches painted in this manner. As the painting of icons
became more popular, the art of fresco painting disappeared. Ziros is a very pleasant
village situated among some of the richest vineyards and olives groves in Crete.
This text is cited Feb 2003 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
This small village is about 30 km south of Sitia and has very poor history. It was occupied by Turks and a plot killed a number of local men in the church of Agia Paraskevi. The bones of these men are on display in the same church. In Agia Paraskevi is also a fresco on the arch above the door dated 1565.
DIONISSADES (Island complex) LASSITHI
Dionysiades (Dionusiades, Diod. v. 75), small islands which lie off
the coast of Crete to the NE. The position is fixed by the Coast-describer at
120 stadia from Sammonium (Stadiasm.) The Peutinger Table places at the E. of
the N. extremity of Crete, an island with the unfinished name of Dion. . . This
must be one of this group of islands, which now are called Dhionysiadhes. See
the map in Pashley's Travels. (Hock, Kreta, vol. i. pp. 428, 439.)
ETIS (Ancient city) SITIA
Eteia (Eteia), a town of Crete. Pliny (iv. 20) places a town of this
name (some of the MSS. and the old text have Elea or Eleae), between Phalasarna
and Cisamus.
ITANOS (Ancient city) ITANOS
Itanus (Itanos, Ptol. iii. 17. § 4; Steph. B.: Eth. Itanios), a town
on the E. coast of Crete, near the promontory which bore the name of Itanum. (Plin.
iv. 12.) In Coronelli's map there is a place called Itagnia, with a Paleokastron
in the neighbourhood, which is probably the site of Itanus; the position of the
headland must be looked for near Xacro flume (Hock, Kreta, vol. i. p. 426), unless
it be placed further N. at Capo Salomon, in which case the Grandes islands would
correspond with the Onisia and Lfugge of Pliny (l. c.; comp. Mus. Class. Antiq.
vol. ii. p. 303). According to Herodotus (iv. 151), the Theraeans, when founding
Cyrene, were indebted for their knowledge of the Libyan coast to Corobius, a seller
of purple at Itanus. Some of the coins of this city present the type of a woman
terminating in the tail of a fish. (Eckhel, vol. ii. p. 314.) This type, recalling
the figure of the Syrian goddess, coupled with the trade in purple, suggests a
Phoenician origin.
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
KAMARA (Settlement) ITANOS
Camara (Kamara: Eth. Kamaraios, Steph. B.), a city of Crete, situated
to the E. of Olus (Ptol. iii. 17. § 5), at a distance of 15 stadia according to
the Maritime Itinerary. Xenion, a Cretan historian quoted by Steph. B. (s. v.)
says that it was once called Lato. (Hoeck, Kreta, vol. i. pp. 10, 394, 116.)
PRESSOS (Ancient city) SITIA
Prasus (Praisos; in the MSS. of Strabo Prasos, but in inscriptions
Praisos, Bockh, Inscr. vol. ii. p. 1102: Eth. Praisios, more rarely Praisieus,
Steph. B. s. v.). A town in Crete, belonging to the Eteocretes, and containing
the temple of the Dictaean Zeus, for Mt. Dicte was in the territory of Praesus.
(Strab. x. pp. 475, 478.) There is a difficulty in the passage of Strabo, describing
the position of this town. He first says that Praesus bordered upon the territory
of Leben, and was distant 70 stadia from the sea, and 180 from Gortyn; and he
next speaks of Praesus as lying between the promontories Samonium and Chersonesus,
at the distance of 60 stadia from the sea. It is evident that these are two different
places, as a town, whose territory was contiguous to that of Leben, must have
been situated in the southern part of the island; while the other town, between
the promontories of Samonium and Chersonesus, must have been at the eastern end.
The latter is the town of the Eteocretes, possessing the temple of the Dictaean
Zeus, and the Praesus usually known in history : the former is supposed by Mr.
Pashley (Crete, vol. i. p. 289, seq.) to be a false reading for Priansus, a town
mentioned in coins and inscriptions, which he accordingly places on the southern
coast between Bienna and Leben. In this he is followed by Kiepert. But Bockh thinks
(Inscr. vol. ii. p. 405) that Pransos, or Priansos was the primitive form of the
name, from which Praisos, or Priaisos (a form in Steph. B. s. v.), and subsequently
Prasos, were derived, just as in the Aeolic dialect pansa became paisa, and in
the Attic dialect pasa. Kramer (ad Strab. l. c.) adopts the opinion of Bockh.
Upon the whole we must leave uncertain what town was intended by Strabo in the
former of the above-mentioned passages. The territory of Praesus extended across
the island to either sea. (Scylax, p. 18, Huds.) It is said to have been the only
place in Crete, with the exception of Polichna, that did not take part in the
expedition against Camicus in Sicily, in order to avenge the death of Minos (Herod.
vii. 170). It was destroyed by the inhabitants of Hierapytna. (Strab. x. p. 479.)
Agathocles, the Babylonian, related that the Praesii were accustomed to sacrifice
swine before marriage. (Athen. ix. p. 376.) The ruins of Praesus are still called
Praesus. (Pashley, Crete, vol. i. p. 290, seq.; Hock, Kreta, vol. i. p. 413, 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
ITANOS (Ancient city) ITANOS
Itanos. A town on the eastern coast of Crete, of Phoenician origin.
MAKRYS GIALOS (Municipality) LASSITHI
KOUFONISSI (Island) LEFKI
MAKRYS GIALOS (Port) LASSITHI
Makri Gialos was once a tiny fishing village, but has now become popular resort due to the friendly local hospitality. The village is still unspoilt compared with the larger resorts on the north coast and is an ideal spot for those searching for quiet holidays, with visitors returning year after year. The name Makri Gialos means "long beach", which indeed it is the long sandy beach with crystal clear, shallow waters, is perfect for children and non-swimmers, and further out for more experienced swimmers. The beach is lined with a good variety of tavernas to suit all tastes, the fishing port being the most picturesque part of the village. From the port, there is a boat which leaves each morning for the beautiful island of Koufonisi, returning late afternoon. Makri Gialos has a very good suply of shops, tavernas and watersport facilities and attracts visitors of all ages.. The excavations brought to light a minoan villa. In the same region a villa from the Roman period has been excavated.
PALEKASTRO (Small town) ITANOS
Palekastro is situated at the most eastern part of Crete, about 19 km away from Sitia. The advantageous location near the sea and in the middle of a fertile plain makes it the center of an important area. Palekastro has 1.700 permanent residents, characterised by their hospitality, friendliness and dilligence. The economy of the village is based on agriculture, fishery and tourism during the summer. Palekastro, peaceful and quiet, offers many different holiday alternatives to its visitors who return again and again.
In Palekastro there is a tourist office. There the guests can inform themselves and become acquainted better with the village and the environment. Also for problems, requests or suggestions the visitors can turn to this place where they will always find an " open ear ". It is at the same the exchange and public telephone office.
VAI (Beach) LASSITHI
25 kms from Sitia there is the unique forest of palms in a landscape of unusual tropical beauty. According to one version its derivation is owed to the Phoenician merchants who established in the neighboring Itanos, who adored the god Phoenix. According to another version it is supported that the forest has been created by the Egyptian soldiers of Ptolemeos who came as allies of Itanos in its conflict with Pressos and Ierapitna. The third version sustains that the forest was created from the seeds of dates which the Saracens pirates ate as essential food in 824 b.c., when they occupied Crete
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Prefecture of Lassithi URL below, which contains image.
ZAKROS (Village) ITANOS
Zakros is the second village in size in the Municipality of Itanos
with 800 habitants. It is 20 kilometers away from Palekastro. It is in the middle
of a lush lowland with thousands of olive trees. They are the "spring of life"
for the economy of the area. Agriculture and the cultivation of olives, is the
basic occupation of the local people. The area is famed for the springs and crystal
waters that have ceaselessly run for centuries making fertile the land that kindly
shares its bounty. This is also the starting point of the famous Canyon of Zakros,
cutting through the tall mountains and ending up at Kato Zakros, next of the rubble
of the Minoan Palace (forth largest Minoen settlement in size). Thousands of objects
have been discovered, masterpieces of the Minoan art. They are decorating the
archeological Museum of Iraklio.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Eastern Crete Development Organization URL below, which contains images.
PRESSOS (Ancient city) SITIA
The name Eteokretes--"true" or "native" Cretans--shows
that they were commonly recognized as the original population of the island, like
the Sicani and Siculi in Sicily. In historical times they are found in the eastern
end of Crete, near Mount Dicte, the seat of the primitive worship of the Dictaean
Zeus. Their city was Praesus (Prasos in Strabo, x. 4. 6, but Praisos on the inscriptions).
From an inscription discovered at Praesus some years ago it appears that they
retained their ancient non-Hellenic language down to a comparatively late period.
(...)Minos, it is said, went to Sicania, which is now called Sicily, in search
for Daedalus, and perished there by a violent death. Presently all the Cretans
except the men of Polichne and Praesus were bidden by a god to go with a great
host to Sicania (Herodotus 7.170.1)
Commentary: Praisos. High on the central plateau near the east end of Crete. Two
'Eteocretan' inscriptions have been found there in recent excavations. That these
two cities (Praisos and Polichne) took no part in the expedition is no historical
tradition, though it may have been derived, like the notice of the newer colonists,
from Praesus, but merely an inference from the fact that their inhabitants belonged
to the pre-Hellenic 'Minoan' race (Hom. Od. xix. 176; Strabo 475, 478), and therefore
presumably had not been affected by the migration preceding or following the death
of Minos. The words stoloi megaloi imply a large migration which left Crete empty;
this hypothesis explained the disappearance of the 'Minoan' people, and the existence
as early as Homer of Achaeans, Pelasgians, and Dorians in Crete.
ETIS (Ancient city) SITIA
City on the N coast of E Crete. The ancient site is probably under
the modern town, which goes back certainly to the Venetian period. Another site
nearby has been suggested (Petras), but the only good harbor, then as now, is
on the W side of the bay, sheltered from the N wind.
Little is known of its history. One of the Seven Sages, Myson, was
born at Eteia or Etis, probably to be identified with Seteia. No coins are known,
and it may never have been a fully independent city in antiquity, but a dependency
of inland Praisos, serving as its port on the N coast: an early 3d c. inscription
of Praisos refers to the Setaetai making overseas voyages on behalf of Praisos.
When that city was destroyed (145-140) the Praisians may have continued to hold
Seteia; later it was a bishop's see.
Objects belonging to the EM, MM, and LM, Archaic, Classical, Roman
and Byzantine periods have been found at the modern town site, but few remains
of buildings: only some Roman walls at the river mouth on the S side, and a Classical
wall on the SW side. Part of the ancient site may now be submerged, owing to local
subsidence. On the coast at Petras, 3 km E-SE of the town, are remains of a major
Minoan site, with EM, MM, and LM finds but hardly a trace of post-Minoan settlement,
so that it is unlikely to be Seteia. On the E side of a headland just E of Petras,
called Karavopetra or Trypeti, is a rock cutting--a "shipshed" for a
guardship, probably for protection against piracy.
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.
ITANOS (Ancient city) ITANOS
Town in Sitia province, E Crete; on a now deserted bay just S of the
NE point of Crete, Cape Sidhero (ancient Samonion) and N of Palaikastro and Cape
Plaka (ancient Cape Itanon). Traces of Minoan occupation have been found, and
at Vai 1.6 km to the S an LM IA building has been excavated. Much more evidence
has been found of occupation in succeeding periods: Protogeometric (?), Geometric,
and archaic sherds from unstratified deposits, and many Classical and Hellenistic
sherds. But the visible remains are mostly of Roman or Byzantine date.
Apart from the archaeological evidence little is known of the city's
history before the 3d c. B.C. The traditional founder was Itanos, a son of Phoinix
or bastard son of one of the Kouretes (Steph. Byz. s.v.). This and the possibly
Semitic origin of the name have been adduced as evidence of Phoenician links or
even settlement, but concrete evidence is lacking. The Theran colonists of Kyrene
(Hdt. 4.151) were guided by an Itanian purplefisherman, Korobios (possibly to
be identified with the marine deity on some Itanian coins). Itanos was one of
the first Cretan cities to strike coins, in the 5th c.
Much of the detail of its history in the 3d and 2d c. comes from inscriptions.
In the early 3d c. an oath of loyalty was imposed on all citizens, a probable
indication of internal political instability and the threat of revolution, clearly
arrested (perhaps by reforms leading to a moderate democracy). In the 260s Itanos
sought Ptolemaic help against its aggressive neighbor Praisos (perhaps also against
the threat of revolution). An Egyptian garrison was established, maintained until
about the end of the 3d c., and renewed briefly in the mid 2d. This led to increasing
Egyptian influence in Cretan politics and provided a base for recruiting mercenaries.
When Hierapytna destroyed Praisos (145-140), she became a neighbor of Itanos,
and the two cities, though formerly allies, came into conflict over Hierapytnian
control of the Sanctuary of Dictaean Zeus (at Palaikastro) and Leuke island (Kouphonisi).
The dispute was finally settled in 112-111. The later history of Itanos is obscure;
it was not a bishop's see and is not listed by Hierokles. Coins, inscriptions,
and ruins indicate continued occupation in Roman times, and many Byzantine remains
survive, including two churches and baptisteries. The date of final abandonment
is uncertain.
In the 19th c. the site was first thought to be Hetera, but later
correctly identified. In the center of a small bay, protected from the N and NW
winds, a low hill forms the ancient acropolis. On its W side is a large church,
on the S traces of a circuit wall with towers, and on the summit remains of small
late buildings; sherds, however, go back to the Geometric period. Inland to the
W, on a second hill, stands a fine Hellenistic terrace wall, but few other remains.
On low ground between the hills are large domestic buildings of Byzantine date
overlying earlier levels. To the N is the necropolis, to the W ancient quarries,
and on the S edge of the city a circuit wall surrounds a hill, perhaps for the
Ptolemaic garrison. Part of the ancient city may now lie under water; this coast
has been submerged by some 2 m since antiquity. Ancient remains have been found
on the offshore island of Elasa (ancient Onysia), still an anchorage.
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.
MOCHLOS (Small island) SITIA
The main visible remains of the post-Minoan occupation of the island
are the walls and towers of a fortified position situated on the summit. Along
the edge of the cliffs on the N side a wall can be traced with a tower at either
end and a larger central one. From the W tower a curtain wall descended to the
shore on the S side of the island--the only suitable landing place on the island.
A similar wall presumably ran S from the E tower as well. Mochlos' importance
in the Roman period, as in the Bronze Age, would have been as a good harbor. By
the Roman period the spit of land connecting the rocky promontory to the mainland
had subsided and the island had been formed, but the water on either side would
still have been protected from the worst effects of the winds. Traces of harbor
works noted by Plato would certainly belong to the Roman period.
K. Branigan, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Sep 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains 10 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
PRESSOS (Ancient city) SITIA
Hellenistic city a little over 10 km S of Sitia. The two hills occupied
by the Hellenistic city have yielded no traces of earlier occupation, although
S of the city a third hill was the site of a sanctuary from the 8th to the 5th
c. B.C., and S of this sanctuary two Late Bronze Age tholoi have been discovered.
The Late Bronze Age settlement may have been another km to the S, where remains
of well-built houses have been observed.
The Hellenistic city was founded in the 4th c. and destroyed about
the middle of the 2d c. B.C. by Hierapetra. The Hellenistic city was situated
on two hills and a low saddle between them, the whole area being flanked on E
and W by streams and their respective valleys. Traces of the defense wall have
been recognized, mainly on the E and S sides, and they, together with the general
spread of debris, suggest that the walled city occupied an area of more than 10
hectares. Within this area, the higher of the two hills seems to have been fortified
as a citadel and to have formed the center of the city as a whole. On the peak
of this hill, remains of a major temple have been recognized.
On the slopes of both hills terrace walls can be traced, and on the
S side of the lower hill rectangular cuttings in the rock are thought to represent
the remains of houses cut back into the slope here. Narrow, stepped streets ran
up the slopes and were flanked by built houses, only one of which was ever extensively
excavated. This proved to be a fine house of ashlar, with six or seven downstairs
rooms and traces of stairs leading to an upper floor. The whole building had a
tiled roof, and was occupied from the 3d c. until the mid 2d B.C. The saddle between
the two hills is thought to have been the site of the agora, and from it were
recovered several architectural fragments, including part of a Doric frieze and
a fragment from an Ionic capital. A paved road led from this area up toward the
summit of the lower hill.
The third hill, beyond the city walls to the S, was found to have
first been used as a sanctuary in the Geometric period. To it belonged a thick
deposit of soil containing many votive terracottas and miniature bronze pieces
of armor. At the close of the 5th c. the whole hill summit was enclosed by a temenos
wall, except where the hillside was particularly steep. An entrance in the SE
corner of this wall led into an enclosure where there was an altar, a long building
probably used as a repository for gifts, and probably a temple. No trace of the
temple was found on the summit, but a leveled rectangular area of rock, 13 x 9
m, probably indicates its situation. From the fields immediately below the cliff
traces of ashlar blocks and columns may well belong to this temple, presumably
completely destroyed in the mid 2d c. B.C.
The city was supplied with water from a source more than 3 km to the
S, where a small temple stood above the spring. Cemeteries were situated on the
E, S, and probably W of the city, while some 400 m NW of the lower hill quarries
used during the building of the city are still visible.
K. Branigan, 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.
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