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Sitia Mountains
The Sitia or Siteia Mountains, also known as the Sitiaka Range, are a group of four mountain ranges extending SW-NE in Lasithi in eastern Crete, Greece. Stretching from the southern coast to the plain of the city of Sitia on the northern coast, they tend to isolate east Crete from the rest of Crete, creating a refugium for the rare plant and animal species and a refuge for the ancient people practising the Minoan culture. In this ancient refuge are now to be found the ruins of Minoan sites at Mochlos, Kato Zakro, Palaikastro, and Kavousi. These are four of the major sites of East Crete, but the number of sites recorded or excavated is in the hundreds. Endemic species, many rare or endangered, are to be found in the gorges that cut from upland to ocean or valley on all sides. Geography The four ranges are configured in two rows, termed the West Sitia Mountains and the East Sitia Mountains. The west side is divided from the east side by the Rema Pentelis ("Pentelis river"), a str ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mochlos
Mochlos ( el, Μόχλος) is a modern, populated, and inhabited island in the Gulf of Mirabello in eastern Crete, and the archaeological site of an ancient Minoan settlement. There is evidence that Mochlos was not an island in Minoan times, but was attached to the mainland and acted as an eastern harbor. The name Mochlos also applies to the small fishing village and resort located on the main island of Crete, opposite Mochlos island. Only 150 metres separates them. The island is administered from Tourloti which is only away. Archaeology Mochlos was first excavated by Richard Seager in 1908 at the western end of the island, where a prepalatial cemetery was found. At that time, tombs, pithos burials and pit graves were uncovered, as well as two large tombs at the western tip of the island. In the 1970s, Jeffrey Soles documented the tombs and cemetery uncovered by Seager. The cemetery was in use from Early Minoan I to Middle Minoan IA. According to Keith Branigan, "On pre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kavousi
Kavousi is a historic village in the municipality of Ierapetra in the prefecture of Lasithi in eastern Crete. "Kavousi" in the Cretan dialect means "water source" (Greek: Πηγή). The village is situated 19 km (11.8 mi) northeast of Ierapetra, 26 km (16 mi) east of Agios Nikolaos and 42 km (26 mi) west of Sitia. The village is located in the northern foothills of the Thripti mountain range at an elevation of 140 meters above sea level. Many archaeological sites have been discovered in the area of Kavousi, among which are Vronda, Kastro, Azoria, Chrysokamino and the isle Pseira. Kavousi lies just 3.6 km (2.2 mi) south of Tholos Beach. The village has views over the Gulf of Mirabello and the Isthmus of Ierapetra The Isthmus of Ierapetra (Ισθμός της Ιεράπετρας) is a strip of land on the Greek island of Crete which connects the easternmost municipality, Siteia, to the rest of the island. Its name comes from the la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mountains Of Crete
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher than a hill, typically rising at least 300 metres (1,000 feet) above the surrounding land. A few mountains are isolated summits, but most occur in mountain ranges. Mountains are formed through tectonic forces, erosion, or volcanism, which act on time scales of up to tens of millions of years. Once mountain building ceases, mountains are slowly leveled through the action of weathering, through slumping and other forms of mass wasting, as well as through erosion by rivers and glaciers. High elevations on mountains produce colder climates than at sea level at similar latitude. These colder climates strongly affect the ecosystems of mountains: different elevations have different plants and animals. Because of the less hospitable terrain and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sitia Nature Park
Sitia Natural or Nature Park ( Greek ''Φυσικό Πάρκο Σητείας'') is a UNESCO Global geopark located in the east of the island of Crete, in southern Greece. The park is nearly coterminous with the municipality of Sitia. The park, however, is not quite as large. Although the coasts are nearly the same, the overland border of the park does not extend as far to the southwest as the border of the municipality, though roughly parallel to it. The municipality contains the park, except that the naval base at the tip of Cape Sideros and the small islands are excluded. In essence, the park is mountainous, containing the Sitia Mountains and its gorges, as well as the Coastal Hill Range, East Crete. However, much of the Thripti Mountains of the southwest have been inadvertently excluded. The premier activities offered by the park to the public, in addition to its two centers, is sponsored group spelunking in the extensive cave systems and group hiking over the peaks and gorge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zakros Mountains, Crete
The Zakros Mountains are a mountain range in Lasithi in eastern Crete, Greece. It trends to the northeast from Diaskari Beach in the southwest in the direction of Toplou Monastery near Cape Sidero. This range are considered to be the east side of the Sitia mountains (Σητειακά βουνά), divided from the west side by the Rema Pentelis ("Pentelis river"), a stream with its valley that flows S-N across most of Crete at that point, entering the Bay of Sitia just east of Sitia. On the west side of the valley are three ranges more or less in a SW-NE line: the Thrypti mountains, the Ornon Mountains, and the Western Siteia Foothills The Western Siteia Foothills are a range of foothills in Lasithi in eastern Crete, Greece. They are transitional in altitude between the Ornon Mountains, which trends from west to east starting at Kavousi in Ierapetra and ending at Praesos in .... The four ranges together are considered the Sitia mountains The 1975 creation of Sitia UNESCO G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sitia
Sitia ( el, Σητεία) is a port town and a municipality in Lasithi, Crete, Greece. The town has 9,912 inhabitants (2011) and the municipality has 18,318 (2011). It lies east of Agios Nikolaos and northeast of Ierapetra. Sitia port is on the Sea of Crete, part of the Aegean Sea and is one of the economic centers of the Lasithi region. European route E75, which ends in Vardø, starts in Sitia. Sitia is served by the Sitia Public Airport. Sitia has not experienced the effects of mass tourism even though there is a long beach along the road leading to Vai and several places of historical interest. Geography Municipality The municipality Sitia was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 3 former municipalities which became municipal units: *Itanos *Lefki, Lasithi *Sitia The municipality has an area of , the municipal unit . Province The province of Siteia ( el, Επαρχία Σητείας) was one of the provinces of Lasithi. Its territory co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ierapetra
Ierapetra ( el, Ιεράπετρα, lit=sacred stone; ancient name: ) is a Greece, Greek town and municipality located on the southeast coast of Crete. History The town of Ierapetra (in the local dialect: Γεράπετρο ''Gerapetro'') is located on the southeast coast of Crete, situated on the beach of Ierapetra Bay. This town lies south of Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Agios Nikolaos and southwest of Sitia, and is an important regional center. With 16,139 inhabitants (in 2011), Ierapetra is the most populous town in the regional unit of Lasithi and the fourth most populous town in Crete. Ierapetra is nicknamed "the bride of the Libyan Sea" because of its position as the only town on Crete's southern coast. Antiquity Ierapetra has retained a prominent place in the history of Crete since the Minoan civilization, Minoan period. The Greek and later Ancient Rome, Roman town of Hierapytna was located on the same site as present-day Ierapetra. In the Classical antiquity, Classical Age, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Petsofas
Petsofas is the archaeological site of a Minoan peak sanctuary in eastern Crete. It overlooks the Minoan town of Palaikastro and was excavated by John Myres in 1903. He discovered a large number of clay figurines, including animal and human figures dating to 1400 to 1450. Archaeology Among the ubiquitous human and animal figurines found in peak sanctuaries, Petsofas uniquely has clay figurines of weasels and tortoises. Some Petsophas cylinder seals bear a male figure resembling specimens recovered at the Minoan site of Knossos.C. Michael Hogan''Knossos fieldnotes'', The Modern Antiquarian (2007)/ref> Stone lamps, ceramic altars and ceramic building models have also been found at Petsofas. See also *Lato Lato ( grc, Λατώ, Latṓ) was an ancient city of Crete, the ruins of which are located approximately 3 km from the village of Kritsa. History The Dorian city-state was built in a defensible position overlooking Mirabello Bay betw ... References External lin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roussolakkos
Roussolakkos is the site of a Minoan city, located near Palekastro, Crete. The Bronze Age town was occupied from Early Minoan IIA to Late Minoan IIIB, and its remains are relatively well preserved. A later Greek temple to Diktaian Zeus was built at the nearby Elaea promontory. In Greek mythology, the site was regarded as the birthplace of ''Diktaian Zeus''. and the location where Jason and the Argonauts confronted Talos, the man of bronze, a generation before the Trojan War. Bronze age settlement The earliest written records documenting the worship of Diktaian Zeus at Roussolakkos 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. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Siteia Foothills
The Western Siteia Foothills are a range of foothills in Lasithi in eastern Crete, Greece. They are transitional in altitude between the Ornon Mountains, which trends from west to east starting at Kavousi in Ierapetra and ending at Praesos in the east, and the north coastal plain around and west of Sitia. Part of the Sitia Mountains, they complete the SW-NE trending massif of ridges from Ierapetra to the plain of Sitia itself. Geologically, there is little difference between the Ornon Mountains and their northern foothills, which are west of Sitia. The same ravines cut through them both, draining from the Ornon into the Sea of Crete. The Ornon, however, are nearly uninhabitable for villages, due to their altitudes and steep slopes. On the northern side, there are no hills greater than . This is not a good line of demarcation, however, as the hills are all much lower than 800 m. The occupation line for villages is about the contour line. These villages are in the Western Foo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zakros
Zakros ( el, Ζάκρος; Linear B: zakoro) is a site on the eastern coast of the island of Crete, Greece, containing ruins from the Minoan civilization. The site is often known to archaeologists as Zakro or Kato Zakro. It is believed to have been one of the four main administrative centers of the Minoans, and its protected harbor and strategic location made it an important commercial hub for trade to the east. Flinders Petrie related Zakro with Tjeker of the Sea Peoples. The town was dominated by the Palace of Zakro, originally built around 1900 BC, rebuilt around 1600 BC, and destroyed around 1450 BC along with the other major centers of Minoan civilization. Extensive ruins of the palace remain, and are a popular tourist destination. Geography Zakros is sometimes divided into ''Epano Zakros'' (''Upper Zakros''), the portion higher up on the hillside, and ''Kato Zakros'' (''Lower Zakros''), the part near the sea. A ravine known as the "Ravine of the Dead" runs through both the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the Geography of Greece, mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Sea of Crete and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin, featuring List of islands of Greece, thousands of islands. The country consists of nine Geographic regions of Greece, traditional geographic regions, and has a population of approximately 10.4 million. Athens is the nation's capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city, followed by Thessaloniki and Patras. Greece is considered the cradle of Western culture, Western civilization, being the birthplace of Athenian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
