This summer there has been a rash of incidents in which visitors to Greece have gone walking in the extreme heat and then lost their way or been injured. Often setting out without adequate resources, they have been unable to call the authorities in an emergency and some have ended up dying of heat exhaustion.
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New light on ancient Lissos
Two years ago the Ministry of Culture and Sport announced the discovery of large part of a public building, in the form of a theatre or parliament, at the archaeological site of Lissos between Sougia and Palaiochora on the south coast. The excavations, the first in 62 years, had been carried out as part of the work of enhancement and protection of the site, and the find was provisionally dated to the 1st century AD.
Continue readingMore archaeological excavations at Lissos
Last October, the archaeological site at Lissos, between Sougia and Palaiochora on the south coast, was excavated for the first time in 62 years. Dated to the first century AD, the site is best known for the Asclepieion – a healing temple dedicated to Asclepius, the first doctor-demigod in Greek mythology – which first came to light in 1959.
Continue readingNew archaeological find at Lissos
A large part of a public building, in the form of a theatre or parliament, with an eastern orientation, has been uncovered by excavations at the archaeological site of Lissos between Sougia and Paleochora on the south coast. The excavations, the first in 62 years, have been carried out as part of the work of enhancement and protection of the site, according to a press release from the Ministry of Culture and Sport. The find has been provisionally dated to the 1st century AD. (Haniotika Nea, 25th October)
The first phase of the excavation revealed part of the stage, two lateral kiosks with vaulted roofs and 14 rows of seats in the form of an amphitheatre with built foundations which are probably set into the natural ground. Most of the intact seats are on the south and south west sides. The north west side of the concave site is particularly disturbed. The destruction was caused when enormous boulders, brought by an adjacent stream, traversed the site diagonally towards the east. The stream probably flooded as the result of a severe earthquake during the late Roman period (4th century AD), which destroyed most of the ancient sites in western Crete.
The next phase of exploration – according to the same announcement – involves the completion of excavations in order to establish whether the monument is surrounded by a perimeter wall, which will be necessary in order to draw up plans for the restoration and enhancement of the site. In any case, the discovery of a building with a public function at a central point on the site and close to the already well-known Aesclepeion, adds new data to the archaeological and historic picture of the area.
Lissos was an ancient autonomous city, religious centre and seat of the Oreioi Confederacy around the 3rd century AD, which developed in the verdant valley of Aï-Kyrkou, which is surrounded by mountain peaks and opens out onto the southwest Cretan Sea. The Asclepeion, which came to light in 1959, together with the architectural relics of public buildings, the impressive necropolis from Greco-Roman times and the two single-roomed Byzantine churches make up a unique archaeological complex of exceptional natural beauty.
Access to the site is either from the sea or via the European footpath E4, with the result that the area has remained unscathed by later interventions, but at the same time presents practical difficulties for the execution of any works. The excavation work has been carried out by the Chania Antiquities Department with a budget of 300,000 euros and was funded by the Public Expenditure Programme of the Region of Crete.
The Asclepeion at Lissos
The site includes the ruins of an Asclepeion, a healing temple dedicated to Asclepius, a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology. The son of Apollo, Asclepius was said to have been such a skilled doctor that he could even raise people from the dead, and pilgrims would flock to temples built in his honour in order to seek spiritual and physical healing.