Listed 4 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for destination: "RITHYMNIA Ancient city RETHYMNON".
Neolithic potsherds, which were found during surface research on the
rocky hill of Palaiokastro, reveal the existence of human life during this period.
The existence of a settlement here during the Late Minoan period is undoubted.
This was proved by the discovery of a chiselled tomb, complete with funeral gifts,
in the area of Mastabas, dating back to the last stage of the Late Minoan period
(LM III = 1350-1250 BC). However, the most convincing and distinct evidence for
the existence of the ancient town of Rethymno, or Rithimna, is given by the inscriptions
and coins dating back to the 4th and 3rd century BC; the latter displaying Apollo
or Athena on the one side and symbols of the sea such as two dolphins or a trident
on the reverse.
Furthermore the writers of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th century supply valuable
information about Rithimna. Plinios, for example (1st century), and Claudius Ptolemaeus
(2nd century) describe the town as being situated between Panormo and Georgioupoli,
whilst Claudius Aelianos (3rd century) was the first to mention the existence
of the temple of Rokkaia Artemis. The carvings, which were discovered on the natural
rock on the Palaiokastro hill, give evidence of the existence of a sanctuary on
the hill. Furthermore, there is undoubted evidence that part of the constructions
and buildings the sanctuary consisted of was demolished during the building of
the Venetian fortress. The Venetians called the hill "Palaiokastro" (= Old Fortress)
which proves that remains of an earlier, fortified building had existed.
As to the exact position of ancient Rithimna, nothing can be said
with absolute certainty. However, based on a few Venetian written testimonies
in combination with archaeological findings in the area of Arkadiou Street and
the Customs, it may be concluded that at least during the Hellenistic and Roman
period the settlement was situated in the same place as is the town of Rethymno
of today. Possibly this also applied to the settlement of the ancient Rithimna,
the name of which has been kept alive up until today.
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Tourism Promotion Committee of Rethymno Prefecture URL below, which contains images.
An ancient city in W central Crete ca. 40 km E-SE from Khania. Little
is known of its history. It is mentioned mainly by geographers (Plin. HN 4.12.59;
Ptol. 3.15.5; cf. also Lycoph. Alex. 76; Steph. Byz. s.v.). If the emendation
‘Rhithymna’ is correct in Aelian (NA 14.20), there was a temple of Artemis Rhokkaia
at or near the site, at that time (early 3d c. A.D.) a mere village. It is not
mentioned in Hierokles or the Notitiae. The city itself is not mentioned in inscriptions
(e.g. the mid 3d c. agreements with Miletos or the treaty with Eumenes, 183),
but only individual citizens. It probably developed links with the Ptolemies in
the 3d c., and seems to have been refounded as Arsinoe, probably in the late 3d
c.; the old name was in use again by the early 2d c. (Le Rider). Coinage started
in the 4th c. Athena seems to have been the chief deity. Inscriptions in Rhethymno
Museum (mostly gravestones of the Roman and Early Christian periods) are from
Rhethymno province, and few of them certainly from Rhethymno.
The site was settled before the end of the Bronze Age (LM III tombs
from SE suburb of Mastaba). Very iew remains of the ancient city have been found:
part of a Late Roman house with columns was found under Kiouloubasi Square; mosaics
found during construction of the Customs House (1931) were lost without study.
The acropolis must have been on the high promontory (Fortetsa) where the Venetian
fort was later built; here Belli (late 16th c.) claims he saw remains of a temple.
The city and harbor lay below to the SE; SW of Fortetsa on the shore are remains
of rock-cut slipways, probably ancient, and a fish-tank now barely awash (only
a slight change in sea level is apparent here).
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.
A titular see of Crete,
suffragan of Gortyna. Nothing
is known of its ancient history but some of its coins are extant. It still exists
under the Greek name of Rhethymnon.
During the occupation of Crete
by the Venetians it became a Latin see. According to Corner, this see is identical
with Calamona. The Turks who had already ravaged the city in 1572, captured it
again in 1646. At present the Greeks have a bishop there who bears the combined
titles of Rhethymnon and Aulopotamos. The date of the foundation of the see is
unknown.
S. Petrides, ed.
Transcribed by: Douglas J. Potter
This extract is cited June 2003 from The Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent online edition URL below.
Rhithumna. A town of Crete, which is mentioned by Ptolemy (iii. 17. § 7) and Pliny (iv. 20) as the first town on the N. coast to the E. of Amphimalla, and is spoken of as a Cretan city by Steph. B., in whose text its name is written Rhithymnia (Rhithumnia: Eth. Rhithumniates, Hpithumnios). It is also alluded to by Lycophron. The modern Rhithymnos or Retimo retains the name of the ancient city upon the site of which it stands. Eckhel (Numi Vet. Anecdoti, p. 155) first assigned to Rhithymna its ancient coins; maritime emblems are found on them.
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
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