The east end of Crete is a region rich in the most diverse archaeological sites. Most often these are the remains of small but closely located sediments. Thanks to this, spending a few days in this region of the island, you can easily visit many of the archaeological excavations.
One such place is the small promontory of Tripitos (Trypitos - Τρυπητος) located approximately 3 km from the modern Cretan city of Sitia. It is here that the remains of the Hellenic city dating back to 350-50 BC have been found, which is probably identified with the ancient city of Eteia.
In 1960, contemporary landowners located on this promontory divided it into lots (plots) with a view to earmarking them for cultivation. Heavy equipment entered the designated area, whose task was to dig and level the terrain. However, it soon turned out that instead of doing this work, the discovery of the old city located in this place was made. Since 1987, regular archaeological excavations have been started here under the direction of the famous Cretan archaeologist Nikos Papadakis. Unfortunately, heavy machines, which were used during the initial earthworks commissioned by the owners of this land, irretrievably damaged some of the ancient buildings.
Papadakis discovered here a hellenistic city with terraced buildings, which covers almost the entire surface of the headland. The largest fragment of the city that has been discovered so far is located in its eastern part. From the southern side, it is secured by a solid wall with a maximum width of almost 2 meters.
The inner part of the settlement is made up of remains of houses and other structures as well as military facilities. The most important room is 7.5 x 5 m, and in its central part there is a rectangular fireplace made of rock slabs. The furnace is surrounded by benches built on the plan of the letter U and attached to the wall. The inhabitants of the city then sat on them, and the room itself probably served religious practices.
From other important discoveries, it is worth mentioning the warehouse and water cisterns as well as the cobbled streets that have been preserved in quite good condition. One of the main streets seems to even distribute this settlement to two districts. An important find is also the remains of the port and shipyard.
The yard is located on the southern edge of the eastern side of the cape. It is a large rectangular hole hewn in rock, 30 meters long, 5.5 meters wide and 5 meters high. Its bottom is inclined at an angle of 15-30 degrees towards the sea. On the basis of dimensions, it was calculated that the ships using this yard were of medium size. Currently, due to geological changes, which the island underwent (the decline of the eastern part of Crete), this area is under water.
Traces located on the surface of the rock indicate that in the place of the ancient shipyard there were wooden structures used for towing and for fixing the ship. There was probably a roof over the shipyard, however, its remains have not survived to our times, so it is difficult to say about the correctness of these guesses.
In the ruins of the homesteads, archaeologists have found a large number of coins, ceramics and jewelery. Among the most important discoveries is a series of coins minted in the local mint. Some of these artefacts are exhibited at the Archaeological Museum in the nearby town of Sitia. The founder of this facility was the archaeologist Nikos Papadakis, or the discoverer of Tripitos.
Promontos is a climatic place and archaeological site, which in addition to the possibility of communing with antiquity also offers the opportunity to admire an amazing panorama including a beautiful view of the city of Sitia and the waters of the nearby bay on the eastern side of the promontory.
Strolling along the cobbled streets of the old city among the remains of stone buildings, underfoot we find a lot of crumbled remnants of ancient clay pots. What was less valuable or destroyed archaeologists left in place, thanks to which you can almost feel the "breath" of this ancient city. It is also worth coming here to the sunset, because it creates a beautiful spectacle in this place. On the one hand, you can admire the promontory as if Sitia surrounded by the last raysiami the sun, and on the other side you can see the sea, which with the passage of minutes changes its color to pink-blue.
The excavations are located just off the road connecting Sitia to the town of Agia Fotia. Getting to this place is relatively easy and does not require any major orientation in the area. When leaving Sitia, it is enough to head east, following the signs pointing to the Vai beach. At a distance of about 1.5 kilometers from the city limits, look for a characteristic brown signpost with the name Tripitos. After turning left and entering the spitway, drive to the end of the paved road. Just before the not too solid fence that surrounds the Tripitos area, you can leave your car. In 2015, the admission was free and the excavations themselves were devoid of visible supervision.
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