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.
