The Prefecture of Chania is located to the west of the island offering long sandy beaches with clean blue waters. In contrast, the backdrop of the White Mountains home to the Samaria Gorge, famed for its natural beauty and the longest gorge in Europe at 18 km. The main town of Chania is bustling with activity.
The Prefecture of Rethymnon is home to the mountain range of Psiloritis, the highest peak of the island. The main town of Rethymnon has an old town with many fish tavernas and bars overlooking the fishing harbour and Venetian Fortress. On its south coast is the resort area of Agia Galini and close by the Monasteries of Prevali and Archadia. Every part of this island offers breathtaking natural rugged scenery and sandy beaches lapped by clear blue sea.
The Prefecture of Heraklion is located in the centre of the island and houses the capital city of the island with many museums, archaeological sites and steeped in history. The Minoan Palace of Knossos is just a few kilometres to the south of Heraklion and the Palace of Malia to the east. The finds of these palaces and many others can be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. With so much to see and do you will come back again and again just to do it all.
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| HISTORY OF RETHYMNON |


History

The existence of human life during the Neolithic period (6000 -2600 BC) is proved by archaeological findings in the Ideon Andron cave on Mount Psiloritis, the Gerani cave west of Rethymnon and the Elenon cave in the Amari district. The greater number of archaeological finds dating back to the Minoan period (2600-1100 BC) can be explained by the fact that human existence and activity became more common both in caves as well as in a variety of other dwelling places, the remains of which cover the entire area of the Prefecture and are evidence of every stage of the Minoan period. Dating back to the Early Minoan period (2600-2000 BC), in the Mylopotamos area, are the Sentoni Cave in Zoniana and Pyrgi, Eletherna, in the Municipality of Rethymno are the sites of Chamelevri, and Apodoulou in the Amari district.

The palatial installations of Monastiraki in the district of Amari, the settlements of Pera Galinous in the Mylopotamos area and Stavromenou as well as the caves of Melidoni and Patsos in the Municipality of Rethymno date back to the Middle Minoan period (2000-1600 BC). Finally, the cemetery of Armeni, the settlement of Zominthos in Anoghia and the place of worship in Fantaxospiliara in the village of Prinos date from the Late Minoan period (1600-1100 BC).

During the Geometric and Daedalian period (1100-620 BC) important cities such as Eleftherna and Axos (Oaxos) in the Mylopotamos area, flourished, while at the same time a settlement existed on Mount Vrysina on the plateau of Onythe. Continuous development of the same areas can also be observed during the period of Antiquity (620-500 BC), when works of great artistic value were produced. According to the testimony of more recent sources, during Classical (500-330 BC) and Hellenistic (330-67 BC) times, the ancient town of Rithimna must have flourished; it was situated in the same place as the modern town of Rethymno is today. Simultaneously, the other large cities of the Prefecture, as for example Eleftherna, Axos, Lappa and Sivrytos continued to exist during the Hellenistic and the Greco-Roman period (67 BC - 323 AD).

During the First Byzantine period (330-824 AD) when the capital of the Roman Empire was transferred to the Byzantium and Constantinople was founded in 330, Crete was included in the East Roman Empire constituting a separate district, which was governed by a Byzantine general. Henceforth Christianity expanded on the island and in the 8th century the Cretan Episcopate was integrated with the Patriarch of Constantinople. During the early Christian and First Byzantine period a large number of temples were built.
Starting from the year 824 up until 961, the island was governed by the Arabs , although very little evidence of this fact was found in the area of Rethymno apart from some Arabian coins, which were found in the village of Giannoudi.

During the Second Byzantine period (961-1210) fortification works of the town of Rethymno were started for the first time. In the year 1211, the long and interesting period of the Venetian occupation began, remains of which can clearly be seen still on all levels in the area of the town of Rethymno.

Ancient Rithymna

Neolithic potsherds were found during surface research on the rocky hill of Palaiokastro revealed the existence of human life during this period. The existence of a settlement here during the Late Minoan period is not in doubt. This was proved by the discovery of a chiselled tomb complete with funeral gifts, in the area of Mastabas, dating back to the last stage of the Late Minoan period (1350-1250 BC). However, the most convincing and distinct evidence for the existence of the ancient town of Rethymno, or Rithimna, is given by the inscriptions and coins dating back to the 4th and 3rd c BC; the latter displaying Apollo or Athena on the one side and symbols of the sea: such as two dolphins or a trident on the reverse.

Furthermore the writers of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th century supply valuable information about Rithimna. Plinios, for example (1st century) and Claudius Ptolemaeus (2nd century), describe the town as being situated between Panormo and Georgioupoli, whilst Claudius Aelianos (3rd century) was the first to mention the existence of the temple of Rokkaia Artemis. The carvings, which were discovered on the natural rock on the Palaiokastro hill, give evidence of the existence of a sanctuary on the hill. Furthermore, there is evidence that part of the construction and buildings the sanctuary consisted of were demolished during the building of the Venetian fortress. The Venetians called the hill "Palaiokastro" (Old Fortress) which proves that remains of an earlier, fortified building had existed.

As to the exact position of ancient Rithimna, nothing can be said with absolute certainty. However, based on a few Venetian written testimonies in combination with archaeological finds in the area of Arkadiou Street and the Customs, it may be concluded that at least during the Hellenistic and Roman period the settlement was situated in the same place as is the town of Rethymno of today. Possibly this also applied to the settlement of the ancient Rithimna, the name of which has been kept alive until today.

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The Prefecture of Lassithi is located at the eastern end of the island, home to Agios Nikolaos, the exclusive resort of Elounda and the island of Spinalonga. The picturesque fishing harbour of Agios Nikolaos has many tavernas and bars surrounding its inner lake. The palm beach at Vai gives the impression of being on a tropical island, is well worth a visit. The archaeological sites of the Minoan Palace of Phaistos and Gournia can be found to the south on the way to Ierapetra, the most southern town in Europe.