Palekastro

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Palekastro - Eastcrete

Palékastro (also transliterated as Palaikastro; Godart and Olivier abbreviation PK) is a small village at the east end of the mediterranean island Crete. It stands on historical soil. Already at Minoan times the region was a centre of trade. The port of Itanos which is today several meters under the water line shows an impressive certification. And the very extensive Minoan commercial settlement Roussolakkos close to the Chiona beach, excavated by English archaeologists, proves that the region was obviously one of the most important commercial centres of the Minoan culture in the extreme east of the island of Crete.

The village remains exempted from the mass tourism. Still the main business of the app. 1100 inhabitants is agriculture. They cultivate olives and wine, there a still a few fisherman. Commercial fishing however is hard these days due to the substantial over fishing of the Mediterranean Sea. Tourism is supplementary income and it probably will remain.

At the east edge of the village visible from far away there's the flat hill called Kastri(s). This mountain gave Palekastro its name in the middle ages when the region was dominated by the sovereign power of Venice. On the flat summit they had established a fortress. In the course of the centuries the stones were cleared away and used by the people of the region to build houses. Take a walk up there (app. 30 minutes from Chiona or Kouremenos) and enjoy a unique view over the village, the beaches and the mountains. Best time: early morning or late afternoon.

1 Ancient site Roussolakkos
2 Bronze age settlement
3 Archaeology
4 Endangered site
5 Trivia
6 Reference
7 External links

[edit] Ancient site Roussolakkos

Roussolakkos is the only Minoan city to have survived intact. Its harbor, outlying settlements, sanctuaries, and quarries are preserved under sediments accumulating over more than 2,000 years. It was here, the ancient authors tell us, that Diktaian Zeus (the youthful Cretan equivalent of the classical Greek god Dionysos and Egyptian Osiris) was born and where this young god founded his holy city. A temple to Zeus was built at the nearby Elaea promontory. It was also here that Jason and the Argonauts confronted Talos, the man of bronze, a generation before the Trojan War.

The ancient town was in use from Early Minoan IIA to Late Minoan IIIB.Minoan houses and streets, and offerings from the Greek temple of Diktaian Zeus have been excavated at the site.

[edit] Bronze age settlement

The earliest written records documenting the worship of Diktaian Zeus at Palekastro come from the Mycenaean Greek Linear B archives at Knossos and date to the close of the Cretan Bronze Age (ca. 1300 BC), however, sacred art and architecture dating from all periods have been found, suggesting that the site was hallowed throughout its history. Among the most beautiful artifacts attesting the worship of Diktaian Zeus is a unique gold and ivory statuette of the god made ca. 1500 BC. See this and more finds at the museum in Sitia.

[edit] Archaeology

Palaikastro was first excavated from 1902-6 by R. C. Bosanquet and R. M. Dawkins of the British School of Archaeology at Athens. Work was continued by L. H. Sackett and M. R. Popham in 1962-3, and is currently directed by J.A.MacGillivray, L.H.Sackett and J.M.Driessen since 1983.

Just south of Palaikastro is Mt Petsophas, a peak sanctuary likely linked with the town. Linear A inscriptions on offering tables from Petsophas are designated as PK for Palaikastro by Godart and Olivier.

[edit] Endangered site

While the ravages of later periods and recent tourism development have obscured similar sites elsewhere in Crete, so far they have spared Roussolakkos with an area of 50,000 square metres. Today, however, a private developer has been granted permission to build a large tourist complex at Cape Plako, an area which includes the Minoan quarries and outlying sites. An access road to reach the resort area is planned through the ancient city. In addition to development pressures, Palekastro's harbor and coastal buildings are also threatened by a rise in sea level due to local tectonic activity.