Palekastro
Encyclopedia
Palekastro is a small village at the east end of the Mediterranean island Crete
.
It is an historic site. Already in Minoan
times the region was a centre of trade. The port of Itanos
, today several meters below sea level, is mentioned in ancient times. The very extensive Minoan commercial settlement Roussolakkos
close to the Chiona beach, excavated by English archaeologists, clearly shows that the region was one of the most important commercial centres of the Minoan culture in the extreme east of the island of Crete. The Palaikastro Kouros is a carved figure of a youth that was recovered in fragments between 1987 and 1990.
The village remains free from mass tourism. The main business of the approximately 1100 inhabitants continues to be agriculture. Olives
and grape vines are cultivated and a few fisherman remain. Commercial fishing
however is difficult these days because of the substantial over fishing of the Mediterranean Sea
. Tourism is an important source of supplementary income and is likely to remain so.
At the east edge of the village, visible from a distance, there is a flat hill called Kastri(s). This hill gave Palekastro its name in the Middle Ages when the region was dominated by the sovereign power of Venice
. On its flat summit the Venetians established a fortress. In the course of the centuries the stones were cleared away and used by the people of the region to build houses.
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
.
It is an historic site. Already in Minoan
Minoan civilization
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of the British archaeologist Arthur Evans...
times the region was a centre of trade. The port of Itanos
Itanos
Itanos is a former municipality in the Lasithi peripheral unit, eastern Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Siteia, of which it is a municipal unit. Its territory is rich in ancient archaeological sites, notably a Minoan city in Roussolakkos and the...
, today several meters below sea level, is mentioned in ancient times. The very extensive Minoan commercial settlement Roussolakkos
Roussolakkos
Roussolakkos is the site of an important Minoan city, located near to Palekastro, Crete. It is the only Minoan city to have survived intact. Its harbor, outlying settlements, sanctuaries and quarries are preserved under sediments accumulating over more than 2,000 years...
close to the Chiona beach, excavated by English archaeologists, clearly shows that the region was one of the most important commercial centres of the Minoan culture in the extreme east of the island of Crete. The Palaikastro Kouros is a carved figure of a youth that was recovered in fragments between 1987 and 1990.
The village remains free from mass tourism. The main business of the approximately 1100 inhabitants continues to be agriculture. Olives
Olive Tree
The Olive Tree was a denomination used for several successive centre-left Italian political coalitions from 1995 to 2007.The historical leader and ideologue of these coalitions was Romano Prodi, Professor of Economics and former leftist Christian Democrat, who invented the name and the symbol of...
and grape vines are cultivated and a few fisherman remain. Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
however is difficult these days because of the substantial over fishing of the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. Tourism is an important source of supplementary income and is likely to remain so.
At the east edge of the village, visible from a distance, there is a flat hill called Kastri(s). This hill gave Palekastro its name in the Middle Ages when the region was dominated by the sovereign power of Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. On its flat summit the Venetians established a fortress. In the course of the centuries the stones were cleared away and used by the people of the region to build houses.
Trivia
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band Kingston WallKingston WallKingston Wall was a psychedelic/progressive rock group from Helsinki, Finland, originally formed in 1987. Influenced by such artists as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, the group combined eastern themes, mysticism and vivid psychedelia with acid-rock.The band consisted of Petri Walli ,...
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.