HISTORY OF CRETE

The island of Crete, the most southern part of Europe, is located in the middle of the Mediterranean basin, and forms a kind of bridgehead from Asia and Africa to the Greek main land and so to Europe. Crete is divided into four municipalities, Chania, Rethimnon, Iraklion and Lasithi.

Crete is famous for its long and eventful history and its contribution to world civilization. Its strategic location made Crete a crossroad in ancient times and has been inhabited continuously since 6100 BC.

the greatest civilizations of Europe. Minos, the son of Zeus and Europe, was the king of Knossos, the most flourishing city at the time. During the Minoan period, 2600-1150B.C, Cretan trade was the most prosperous in the Mediterranean region, and the Cretan economy, technology, art and architecture were ay their pinnacle. Phaistos, Gortys, Malia, Tylissos, Zakros, Agia Triada, Lissos, Polirinia, Eliros, Falasarna, Kydonia and Aptera were also some of the most prosperous and very powerful  cities of that period.

Classic and Roman period 1150 BC-4^th century AD, Kydonia is the most powerful city of Crete.

1^st Byzantine period 4^th  century AD -7^th century AD,  Kydonia still governs

Arabians, 823-961 AD

2^nd Byzantine period, 961-1251

Venetian domination 1251-1645

During the first year of the Venetian occupation, roughly 10.000 Venetians, 1/6 of the total Venetian population came to Crete. The settlers established communities of noble families implementing a kind of military settlement plan that would fight any resistance and acted as a kind of police supervision of the island of Crete. By taking possession of Crete, Venice had sealed its control of the southern Mediterranean, serving as a bridge for its trade in Egypt and Asia. According to a Venetian report compiled on April 17 1589, Crete had 1087 villages with a total population of 208.000. The majority of the Cretan population was bound to the land and had to cultivate the fields of their lords, serve in the Venetian galleys and carry out various compulsory unpaid works.

Turkish domination 1645-1897

The Ottoman conquest put an end to the flourishing Cretan community. The population was drastically reduced due to excessive hardships and poor living conditions. The Cretans were obliged to pay high taxes to the Ottoman officials, which left no room for the development of the Cretan economy. During the ottoman occupation, Crete was plunged into a cultural dark age.

Foundation of Cretan state 1898

Unification of Crete with Greece 1913

The Island of Crete nowadays

The variations of the landscape, the unique traditional villages, the unspoiled beaches and the majestic mountain peaks interspersed with the flat plains captivate the onlooker. The climate of Crete is mild with an average of 300 days of sunshine. The Cretan people are remarkably friendly, generous, hospitable, warm and very proud of their heritage.

Crete caters to a wide variety of interests, such as archeological sites, museums, monasteries, resorts, endless beaches, splendid plateaus, gorges, seaside villages, healthy cuisine, rich tradition and many cultural events. Crete is the paradise on earth!

Places worth visiting while vacationing in the Western part of Crete are Aptera,  Almirida,  Kalives, Vamos, Geaorgoupolis, Lake Kournas, Hora Sfakion, Omalos, Falasarna, Paleohora,  Elafonisi, Sougia, Agia Roumeli, Loutro, and Gavdos.

 THE HISTORY OF APTERA

     Located at about 15 km south of Chania, near the village of Megala Horafia, Aptera was one of the most important cities of ancient western Crete, which flourished during the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Aptera was founded in the Geometric period, although the city is mentioned in the Linear B tablets found at Knossos (A-pa-ta-wa).

     There are more than one local legends on how the city acquired its name. According to the most popular legend, the city of Aptera (which means wingless) acquired its name after the defeat of the Sirens by the Muses in a music contest. The Muses clipped the wings of the Sirens and when the Sirens tried to fly, they fell into the water and formed the small islands of Lefke in Souda Bay. Based on another account, the city acquired its name from the legendary King of Crete APTERON, son of Kydonos, who settled there during the downfall of the Minoan civilization.

     Aptera, reached its pinnacle during the Hellenistic period, with intense commercial and political activity. Testimony to this is the fact that Aptera was one of the few cities, which had permanent trade consulates, located at all major Greek and Mediterranean ports to protect their economic interests.  

Aptera continued to play a prominent role during the Roman and first Byzantine periods but was destroyed by the Arabs in 823 A.D. Aptera, and the island of Crete as a whole, were in a dormant state for years to come.

It wasn’t until the 13^th century A.D. that Aptera started to flourish once again. During the 4^th Crusade, in 1204, Crete was given to Bonifacio, the Marquis de Monfera. He, in turn, chose to sell it to the Venetians for 100 silver marks. This contact with Venice, the most eminent merchant state of the period, lead to what can be described as the “Cretan Renaissance”.  The island of Crete realized a social, economic and cultural rebirth strongly influenced by both the Venetian and the local element.

Nowadays, one still has the opportunity to visit the remains of various historical monuments, which depict the awe-inspiring civilizations that passed through the city of Aptera. The best-preserved buildings are from the time of the Roman occupation including impressive vaulted cisterns and bathhouses, a small two-aisled Hellenistic temple, the fortification wall, the monastery of Ayios loannis Theologos of Patmos, and the Turkish fortress of Itzedin. Aptera has managed to maintain its unique beauty throughout the passage of the centuries, thus making it one the most picturesque areas of Greece.

Address: Eleutheriou Venizelou 7, Chania Center, Crete, Greece
Tel: +30 697 3743 892 or +30 28250 41411 (after 5pm)
info@aptera-crete.gr - www.aptera-crete.gr