The ancient city of Aptera

Crete, and it is the one appearing on the coins too. During the Hellenistic period (end of 4th c.

– beginning of 1st c. B.C.) the name Aptera occurs mainly outside Crete but also in the inscriptions in parallel to the Dorian one.

There are many ancient geographers or historians who refer to the city’s location. Skylax (5th c.

B.C.) cites: “towards the north wind the land of Aptera”. Geographer Stravon (1st c. B.C.-1st c.

A.D.) estimates its distance from Kydonia (present day Khania) to 80 stadiums from land and 40 from sea. Yet, Pliny (1st c. A.D.), Dionysios Kallifontos (2nd c. A.D. “so called Aptera in the inland”), Ptolemy (2nd c. A.D.) refer to the city and the “Stadiasmos of the Great Sea” (work of anonymous writer) estimates its terrestrial distance from Kydonia.

In 1415 the Italian traveler Cr. Buodelmondi identified the specific area with Aptera’s harbor Minoa (present day Marathi). In 1630 Fr. Basilicata describes the monuments he saw (“round” theatre, mosaic floor, etc.) without trying to identify it with a specific city.

Among recent travelers Tournefort in 1700 expressed the theory that Aptera must be located on the correct hill.

Eventually J. Pashley was the first to identify correctly the specific area with the city in 1834 when he visited it during his travels in Crete. According to his vivid description in his work “Travels in Crete”, apart from the evidence of the ancient geographers that led him to look for the city on the specific hill, what also confirÎõëïãñáößåò áðü ôï âéâëßï: Robert Pashley. med its identification was the ×Üëêéíï êáé Áñãõñü Travels in Crete, vol. 1, occurrence of its name (Aptaíüìéóìá ÁðôÝñáò.

Amsterdam 1970. Âronze and Silver coin raion) in most of the coins the Wood engravings from of Aptera. monks gave to him and in inscrithe book: Robert Pashley. ptions he saw there.

Travels in Crete, vol. 1, Amsterdam 1970.