Cranes (city)

Krane (in ancient times also ancient Greek Κράνιοι Kranioi , modern Greek Κράνη ( f. Sg. ) Krani) was a city on Kefalonia and in ancient times part of the Tetrapolis on the island. During the Peloponnesian War , Kranioi sided with Athens , which was there in 421 BC. From Pylos, who had fled the Messenians .

Krane lay to the east, above the Koútavos lagoon on the bay of Argostóli . The historical sources are as sparse as the remains. It is assumed that there was a fortification here in Mycenaean times; Kráne coins were still in circulation in Roman times.

A polygonal wall is preserved, probably from the 4th / 3rd centuries. Century BC BC. It runs in a west-east direction along the hill on which the Acropolis once enthroned the city. Even in Byzantine times, Kráne was still inhabited and served as an outpost for the fortress of Ágios Geórgios . On the much lower summit you can still find remains of the Byzantine fortifications that were built on the ruins of the earlier wall.

The name of the city probably goes back to Kranios , the son of Kephalos , who gave the island its name. However, there are no reliable findings on this.

Because of the malaria , the city had to be abandoned. The new town of Argostoli was founded 1.5 km away . The former urban area is now an archaeological excavation site .

literature

• Daniel Strauch: Kranioi. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 6, Metzler, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-476-01476-2 , Col. 789.

Web links

• Η αρχαία Κράνη και το οχυρωματικό τείχος στα Ραζάτα, 35. Ephoria for Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities (Greek)
• Cranes near Pleiades (English)

Remarks

1. ↑ Thucydides 5:35 , 7.

Coordinates: 38 ° 10 ′  N , 20 ° 31 ′  E