Polyrrhenia
Polyrrhenia ( Greek Πολυῤῥηνία ) was an ancient city in the northwest of Crete . The remains are south of Kissamos Bay on a steep hill near the modern village of Polyrinia.
The city is named by various classical authors, according to which it is said to have been the most important city in the west of Crete. According to Strabo (10, 4, 13) it initially consisted of a number of villages that were united into one city by later Achaean and Laconic settlers. Since the end of the classical period, the city has been referred to as the polis in ancient sources . The oldest remains, however, date back to Geometric times . The city supported the Romans and was therefore spared by them when they conquered Crete. The city also flourished under Roman rule, but lost its importance in the 3rd century; later the settlement was abandoned. Kissamos and Phalasarna may have served as the city's ports, but their exact relationship with one another is currently a matter of debate.
Polyrrhenia minted its own coins, most of which show the image of Zeus .
The city has not yet been the target of archaeological excavations. The remains lie on a double hill that forms the acropolis . The slopes are littered with the remains of houses, cisterns and graves. There are remains of a Roman temple. In total, the city was about 30 hectares. In the Church of the 99 Holy Fathers (Εκκλησία των 99 Αγίων Πατέρων) various inscriptions that come from the city are walled up. Stones for the construction of the church were brought from the ruins of the city. An inscription dates to the year 272 BC. And reports that the Spartan king Areus I donated a statue in a temple. Another inscription dates back to 189 BC. BC and reports of an honor in favor of Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Hispallus .
literature
- Robert Pashley: Polyrrhe´nia . In: William Smith (Ed.): Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography . tape 2 . Walton & Maberly, London 1857, p. 646 ( digitized version [accessed December 13, 2015]).
- Holger Saturday : Polyrrhenia. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 10, Metzler, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-476-01480-0 , column 78.
- Malcolm Cross: The Creativity of Crete. City States and the Foundations of the Modern World , Oxford 2011, ISBN 9781904955955 , pp. 226-228.
Individual evidence
- ^ Franz Mehling (ed.): Knaurs Kulturführer Greece . Weltbild, Augsburg 1998 (licensed edition by Droemer 1982), ISBN 978-3828906709 , p. 269.
Web links
Coordinates: 35 ° 27 '18 " N , 23 ° 39' 7.2" E