Above the entrance to the great harbour of Souda, where
Paleokastro stands today near the village of Megala
Chorafia, the extensive ruins of the ancient city of Aptera
(also referred to as Apteria, Apterea, or Aptaria) can be
found. The name Aptera, according to one tradition, derives
from Apteron, king of Crete, son of Kydon and father of
Lappios, who is said to have lived in the time of Moses
around 1800 BC. The legend of Apteron lends itself to the
suggestion that the city was once a colonial settlement
governed by the Dorian Apteros or Aptaros who took part in
the occupation of Crete towards the end of the Minoan era.
Alternative legends claim the city of
Aptera
took its name following a musical competition between
the Muses and the Sirens held in the
Temple
of the Muses. At the time of the competition the city,
which was to become Aptera, was renowned as a centre far
musical expertise.
The Muses emerged as victors of the competition, a
defeat which left the Sirens in such a distressed state
that their feathers fell out into the sea, where they
were transformed into the small ‘white islands’ in Souda
Bay. It is from this legend that the city takes its
name, Aptera meaning wingless.
The builder of Aptera is believed to have been Glaukos.
Archaeological digs in the ancient city by Wescher in
1862-64 unearthed inscriptions confirming the position
of Aptera on the site of Paleokastro - Megala Chorafia.
Further archaeological digs were undertaken in 1942
involving, amongst others, the Italian archaeologists
Mariani and Savignoni.
The city walls of Aptera are made of large polygonal
stones to the east and long rectangular ones to the
west. The foundations of several large buildings have
also been uncovered. Where the
church of
St. John now stands, once stood the Temple
of the Muses. Nearby stood the offices of the college of
the government of the time of which a whole wall of
inscriptions has been preserved.
A short distance away the remains of the
Temple of
Eileithnia, the birth goddess, are located. Moreover,
following a dig in the 1958, the remains of the Dorian
Temple were discovered, close to the preserved ruins of the
ancient theatre. There are also the ruins of the double
sanctuary or treasure house. Both were wonderfully
constructed with interior archways, similar to the ruins of
Rome. Smaller
finds range from engravings, inscriptions, coins, and
drinking vessels to the more elaborate works of art from the
Hellenic, Greek and Roman periods. Multi-coloured finger
paintings of the greatest beauty and delicacy, representing
Apollo and Artemis, have also been found.
The archaeologist Alexiou, during his excavation in
1958, discovered a temple dedicated to Demetrer. In the
temple various examples of kerni were discovered dating
back to Hellenic times. A kerni was a vessel with many
openings in which seeds were placed in the honour of the
goddess of agriculture. Alexiou also discovered a
group of tombs from the 4th century BC which contained
silver brooches, coins and vessels of various kinds. One
of his greatest finds was part of a treaty made between
Aptera and Kydonia.
The jurisdiction of the city state as a whole ranged
from the plain of Apokoronou, towards Kydonia and
approximately as far as the plain of Chania,
incorporating Akrotiri and the small islands of Souda.
Archaeologists estimate the population of Aptera to have
been upward of 20,000, of which one-fifth were freemen
with the rest of the population in the bonds of slavery.
Many of the freemen were merchants, great landowners or
ship owners. Aptera was one of the few cities which had
a substantial trading network. This included the most
important
Mediterranean
and Greek ports which allowed Aptera to protect her
business interests. The two main ports of the ancient
city were Kisamos in Kalives and Minoa, believed to be
situated at Marathi on the Akrotiri.
Towards the end of the Minoan age, Aptera was at the
peak of its development. This belief is supported by the
formidable, large stone cyclopean city walls which
protected the ancient city. Defence was a major concern
of the Apterians, as traditionally they had fierce and
powerful enemies in the Lappians, the people of Lappos.
(Today the Argyroypolis in Rethimno).
Lappos had an excellent mercenary army of highly skilled
archers whose part in the Messenian war at the end of
the 6th century BC is chronicled in history books.
However the character of the Apterians differed greatly
from their enemies' military predisposition. The
Apterians were primarily a trading nation, noted more
for their passivity than aggression.
A steady alliance always existed between the Apterians
and the Kydonians. They also had allies in the shape of
the Knossians. However, in 210BC, sieges by the Lappians
and the Polyrrinians forced them to abandon their
alliance. In 183 BC the Apterians became party to the
treaty of King Eumenes of
Asia Minor. In
order to publicise their uncharacteristic aggression the
Apterians had the figure of an armed soldier engraved on
their coins, which was symbolic of the strength of their
mercenary army.
Alternatively the Apterians would, if circumstances
permitted, participate in wars without bloodshed. An
example of bloodless war would follow along the lines of
a conference between the two opposing armies, whilst the
Generals assessed the strength of the enemy, the priests
would study the omens and accordingly a compromise would
be reached.
In this way the attachment of the Apterians to the
Kydonian army against the Polyrrinians involved no
sacrifice on their part, and worked out to be very
advantageous. Moreover, the Apterians did not fight
against the Romans, surrendering similarly like the
Kydonians who were overwhelmed by Metellus in 63 BC.
This placed them in Roman favour which was reflected in
the negligible taxes they had to pay.
The life of Aptera continued into the Greco-Roman period
and into early Christian times, when there was a Bishop
of Aptera. Unfortunately, due to later periods of war
and natural devastation, the ancient city of
Aptera
was destroyed. Later on the site of the ancient city,
appeared the small settlement of Paleokastro, which was
to be destroyed by barbarism in 1583.
In the mid-nineteenth century a large proportion of
the material ruins of Aptera were aquired by by Reoulf
Pasha and utilised in the building of the Itzedin the
fortless of Kalami, in honour of the son of the Sultan
of the time.
Successive digs have also unearthed limekilns in which
the art and the brilliance of the statues of Aptera were
turned into lime. Aptera was known as the 'Gallery of
Crete' and over the centuries was witness to the flowing
and ebbing of all the civilisations that have existed in
Greece.
The myth of the Muses and the Sirens was followed by the
white Dorian eagle, then the black eagle of the Romans,
the Saracen hawk, the crows of Barbarossa, the winged
iron of Venice and the Islamic stock, until the cycle
finished with the German eagle which for a short while
rooted its talons in the city of the Muses.
The coins of Aptera were silver with the head of Zeus or
a woman on one side and an armed soldier on the other.
On some of them is written the word PYTHOAG, on others
appear the head of Hermes or Apollo, while on the other
side circling the figure of an archer are the words,
VICTORY TO APTERA.
The museum of Istanbul contains a host of discoveries
from Aptera. Amongst the treasures there are gilt
statues of Roman Emperors, many of which are headless
due to the frequent change of leadership in the Roman
Empire. With each change of emperor the head of the
statue would be replaced, just as today we change street
names.
The space inside the city walls of Aptera was so vast
that it is hard to imagine the enormous scale of the
city. From the sheer size of the city it is obvious that
in times of war, the walled city was used as a refuge by
farmers and other citizens living outside the city walls.
It was also a religious and administrative centre as
well as a place for celebrations and social gatherings.
Furthermore all of those who have made a study of Aptera
confirm that it was one of the great commercial and
shipping centres of Crete, mostly due to its favourable
location near the harbour of Souda. Aptera was also an
industrial city as together with fine finger paintings
both iron and bronze forges were discovered very close
to the ancient mine of Verekinthos (today Malaxa), the
oldest mine in Europe.
The position of the ancient Aptera is one of the most impressive
in Crete, situated high on a level plateau with a
fantastic panoramic view. In all directions there is
rare beauty to meet the eye, the Cretan sea, the valley
of Apokoronou which
is exceptionally beautiful, the Akrotiri, the high White
Mountains and Malaxa are all to be seen.
