Yrtakina

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Yrtakina (greek Υρτακίνα) is an ancient city in south-west Crete. The city is located between the villages Temenia and Papadiana, on Kastri hill, where are ruins of the city.

Tthethox believes that Yrtakos was the capital city of the Achaians, and was destroyed by the Dorians. The area of the city was at Vlithia valley to the sea. There were two cyclopic walls, parts of which can be seen even today. It was city-castle, where the soldiers were living with their family.

The city was autonomy and had its own coins, having the image of Cretan wild goat and bee with the name of Tarra. Some others had dolphin and eight-ray star. Elyros, Lissos, Tarra, and Yrtakina had established monetary union, when they joined the Republic of Cretans, in the 3rd century BC. It was also one of the Cretan cities that allied with Eumenes B’. At the acropolis, there was found headless marble statue of Pan. He has legs and feet of goat, and he wears mantle. The statue belongs to the roman period.

In 1939, Theophanidis excavated the Temple of Pan.