Siteia, Siteia

Siteia is a coastal town in eastern Crete, Greece. It is the seat of the Municipality of Siteia in the Lasithi Regional Unit.

Geography

The town is located on the north coast of the island, in the westernmost part of the bay of Siteia, at an altitude of 20 meters. It is 65 kilometers from Agios Nikolaos and 56 kilometers from Ierapetra.

History

The town is possibly identified with the classical and Hellenistic Itia or Itida, or Sitaia, which is mentioned by Strabo and Stephanus Byzantinus. It is thought to be the birthplace of Myson, one of the Seven Sages of Greece. According to Greek mythology, Hercules gathered warriors from this city (as well as from all over Crete) against the Laestrygonians and, defeating them in central Italy, founded the new Siteia, a little outside Rome.

During the Middle Ages, it was an important commercial port of the Byzantine Empire. During the Venetian occupation, it was incorporated into the Venetian Regno di Candia, and had been characterized as “maximum statum et lumen ejiusdem insulae” (=the greatest station but also the light of the island). To stabilize their rule, the Venetians built many forts in various strategic locations in the province that still stand today (e.g. Kazarma). The city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1508 and by a pirate raid in 1538. In 1651, the Venetians destroyed the¹ city in order not to surrender it to the Ottomans. Siteia was rebuilt in 1870, under the name Avnie, which, however, did not prevail.

Economy

The economy of the province is mainly based on primary agricultural production and mainly on oil. Secondly, the economy is based on handicrafts, trade, construction, and tourism. However, the archaeological sites and the natural environment have not been developed for tourism to a significant extent.

Education

In the town of Siteia there are 6 kindergartens and 4 elementary schools. There are also 2 junior high schools, a day general high school and a vocational high school, as well as evening junior high and general high schools. Post-secondary training is provided by the SAEK Siteia, while in terms of higher education, the Department of Food Science and Nutrition (ELMEPA) operates in the city.

Landmarks

• Archaeological Museum: The thirty showcases of the museum include exhibits from 3500 BC. until 500 AD that come from the wider area of Siteia. The museum is divided into five sections, which refer to corresponding chronological periods. Among other things, the collection of vessels, clay tablets of Linear A found in the Zakros archive, figurines from peak sanctuaries, a wine press from the New Palace period and a Hellenistic mill for grinding grain are exhibited. Unique is the chryselephantine male figurine found at the site of Roussolakkos near Palaikastro.
• Kazarma: The fortress of the castle, or Kazarma (Casa di arma), was the barracks of the guard or the headquarters during the Venetian² occupation, one of the buildings of Medieval Siteia which was surrounded by a wall. The city’s fortification and the Kazarma date back to the late Byzantine period. However, pirate raids, frequent revolts by the inhabitants during the Venetian occupation and even earthquakes caused repeated damage to the walls and the Kazarma, until the Venetians themselves were forced to destroy them in order to repair them, which did not happen. in the end. During the period of the Turkish occupation, the surrounding walls appear not to have been rebuilt, but the Kazarma was restored and today Turkish additions can be seen, such as the domes on the battlements, that is, the guard posts of the fort. The Kazarma has been restored today and is open to the public offering panoramic views of the bay and the city of Siteia. During the summer period, cultural events (Kornaria) are held in its specially designed area, such as theatrical performances, concerts, lectures, visual arts exhibitions, etc.
• Remains of a Post-Byzantine church: Remains of a small post-Byzantine church measuring 6.50X2.50 (interior) were recently found (1978) from excavations and around the apse two tombs were found – perhaps of priests – which contained many burials, one of which had five. The whole area between Kazarma and the Cemetery is of great interest, where there are many foundations and various tombs carved into the rock. We have no information about the area from texts except that during the Venetian occupation, in the place of today’s Cemetery of the Ascension, was the Venetian Monastery of Santa Maria which, as Georola tells us, was a women’s monastery.
• Remains of an Early Christian Church: Between the Customs House and the fish tanks, in 1954, due to a fall into the sea due to a storm of the retaining wall of the beach, a part of the sanctuary of a large early Christian basilica was revealed. After a trial investigation, it turned out that this is the south pastophorio room, i.e. next to the apse which was used for storing the utensils of the temple, vestments, etc. An interesting piece of a circular marble table of love was found, which is the first to be discovered in Crete.
• Roman fish tanks: They are located beyond today’s Customs House at a distance of about 150 meters from the small pier. Ten were counted by their researcher, archaeologist Kostis Davaras, along a 200-meter coastline. Most are completely destroyed with only traces on the rock. These are almost semi-circular constructions on the coast in which the freshly caught fish were kept, for which the Romans had a real passion. The largest of these and the best preserved is horseshoe-shaped and measures 7X6.75m. The current position of the fish tank in relation to the sea confirms the theory that eastern Crete has undergone a subsidence which at the point where the tank is reaches 1m. This has been confirmed in relation to western Crete which has been uplifted, although in general science admits that we have a rise in sea level on a global scale.
• Siteia depositors: These are pit-like constructions full of clay figurines, that is, offerings to the gods, which were found in various excavations in the Minoa cinema and around it. Unfortunately, the construction in previous years in this area does not allow research to locate the sanctuary to which these depositors certainly belonged. However, the quality and quantity of these finds, which in addition to figurines also include relief plaques and vessels, make them among the best of their kind and their study is of great interest. They date from the sub-Minoan to the beginning of the Archaic era, i.e. from 1050-500 BC. Of course there is no room to visit but it is considered the most important archaeological find of the city of Siteia. Representative samples of the finds can be seen in the Museums of Agios Nikolaos and Siteia.
• Folklore Museum: On the initiative of the cultural association “Vitsentzos Kornaros” a folklore museum was organized and operates. The exhibits, which belong to the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, include embroidery, woven fabrics, wood carvings, local costumes, household items, pictures and other items.
• Museum – Exhibition of local products: The exhibition – museum of local products was created and operates under the responsibility of the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of³ Siteia and aims to promote local products, the economic development of the area and the strengthening of local production. The dominant products are the olive oil “Siteia”, the “Cretan local wine” of Siteia, and the tsikoudia Varvaki.
• Petras Palace: The archaeological site of Petra is located about 1.5 kilometers southeast of the center of Siteia and 400 meters south of the bay of Siteia on the north coast of Crete, in the Aegean Sea.

Beaches in Siteia

• Siteia Beach
• Vai Beach
• Erimoupoli Beach
• Koureménos Beach
• Xerokambos Beach

Transport

Road access to Siteia is via two main axes. The southern one leads from Ierapetra crossing the province of Siteia from the Libyan to the Cretan Sea. The northern road axis connects Siteia with the capital of the prefecture, Agios Nikolaos. Siteia is connected to the rest of Greece by air and sea.

• KTEL Lasithiou-Irakliou: KTEL carries out routes to all the villages of the province and other major cities of Crete.
• Ferry: The port of Siteia mainly serves small fishing boats and sailboats, but is -potentially- able to serve larger passenger ships. Siteia is connected to Piraeus by sea with the passenger ship “Blue Star” of ANEK. At the same time, Siteia is connected to the islands of the Cyclades and the Dodecanese.
• Aircraft: Siteia Airport can accommodate small and medium-sized aircraft. Regular flights are carried out to and from Alexandroupoli, Athens, Rhodes, Karpathos, Kasos, and Aktio / Preveza. For 2024, direct flights to and from Naples, Milan, as well as a charter flight to/from Copenhagen have been scheduled. Also, the airport is able to accommodate private jet flights.

Administration

As a settlement, it was officially mentioned in 1925 in Government Gazette 27A – 31/01/1925 to be designated as the seat of the newly established community of the same name. According to the Kallikratis plan and its amendment Kleisthenes I together with the settlements of Agia Fotia, Anemoмилия, Petras and Trypitos as well as the islands of Gianysada, Dragonada and Paximada constitute the community of Siteia which belongs to the Municipality of Siteia and according to the 2021 census it has population of 11,003 inhabitants, while with the 2011 census it had 9,912 inhabitants.

Settlement: Key Points

• Historical references: Strabo, Stephanus Byzantinus
• Location: Eastern Crete, in the westernmost part of the bay of Siteia
• Historical significance: Birthplace of Myson, one of the Seven Sages of Greece.
• Population data:

• Current status: Seat of the Municipality of Siteia

References

• Wikipedia