Πληροφορίες τοπωνυμίου

Sta Lenika

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ (Οικισμός) ΑΓΙΟΣ ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΣ
  A village on the W side of the Gulf of Mirabello, N coast of Crete; in a coastal valley S of Elounda and N of Ag. Nikolaos, just S of the ridge which formed the ancient frontier between the territories of Olous and Lato (q.v.).
  Near the village lies a double Sanctuary of Ares and Aphrodite, excavated in 1937-38. The temple consists of two rooms of equal size, adjoining but not intercommunicating, dedicated to Ares and Aphrodite. They are built of rough blocks of local limestone; the walls are plastered, and form a rough square (12 x 12 m). Both rooms contain a bench-altar at the rear, and on the E side open on to a common vestibule (described as a pastas in the inscription found on the site which describes the work on the building). Below the level of the vestibule the plan and remains of a low altar can be made out, similar to that at Dreros; this belonged to an earlier temple of the Geometric period, clearly the Old Aphrodision mentioned as lying close to the frontier in inscriptions relating to the frontier dispute between Lato and Olous. When the dispute was finally settled Latian possession of the site was confirmed (ca. 113 B.C.); inscriptions found at the site have added much new information about the dispute. The temple was built after the settlement, replacing the separate temples of Aphrodite and Ares.

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.

• http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Per...