Rhodes Kamiros

Another large and major city of ancient Rhodeslimited to the island but extended as far away as
whose founding has been lost in the depths ofEgypt and the Pharaoh. Built along the south western
prehistory is Kamiros, located 37 km from Rhodes.slopes of the mountain in an amphitheatrical manner,
This old city whose period of prosperity ended whenancient Kamiros was an unfortified city, a city without
the new city was founded was first unearthed in 1860.walls. It is unknown when exactly the inhabitants
The inhabitants of the area kept unearthing smallabandoned this beautiful and peaceful city. To date no
ancient artifacts in their fields. This led to the firstreason can be substantiated as to why the inhabitants
archaeological excavation which were begun in 1860.left. The life of the city did not end with the foundation
The excavations discovered an ancient cemetery atof the new city in 408 BC but continued well into the
Fakeloura. Further excavations were conducted byRoman Period.
Italian archaeologist which revealed a great section ofThe numerous funerary offerings which have been
this once beautiful city of mythical Althameni, thediscovered in tombs of the area indicate that Kamiros
grandson of Minos and son of Katrea the king ofwas a rich and flourishing city from as early as the
Crete. The grandson of Minos and the son of Katreaprehistoric period. From the 6th century BC onwards
left his native homeland after he was told of thethe city struck its own coinage upon which a fig leaf
terrible oracle which prophesized that he would kill hiswas depicted.
father. When he left Crete he came to Rhodes andThe excavations which were made at various times
landed on the island in the area of Kritinias, just southhave brought to light an entire ancient city with its
of where he built Kamiros. This area is called Leggoniaprivate and public buildings. The remains which have
today. Often when Althameni felt nostalgia for his lostbeen discovered date from the Hellenistic and Roman
homeland and native gods, he would take the pathPeriods. Most impressive are the columns which have
which led to the peak of Mount Attabyra. From there,been replace in situ which enclose the gardens of
on a clear day, the exiled prince of Crete could seeprivate houses from the Hellenistic Period. Equally
the mountain tops of his native homeland and offerimpressive are the city's water supply and sewage
sacrifices to Zeus, the patron god of Crete, on an altarnetworks. Small cisterns which collected rain water
he had built on the peak of this mountain. For theand clay pipelines are all that remain of a once perfect
inhabitants who came after him this was the templesystem. In the archaeological area at a lower level, in
dedicated to Atabyro Zeus. Althameni was not thethe square of the ancient city, an altar dedicated to the
only one who suffered from nostalgia. The old king ofsun god Helios was discovered together with a temple
Crete, Katrea, longed to see his lost child and one daybuilt in the Doric order and which dates from the 3rd
left Crete in search of him. He finally arrived in the areacentury BC.
of Kritinias and with him the curse of the oracle.A 4th or 3rd century plinth with inscriptions as well as a
Althameni, thinking the unknown warriors to be piratesstoa with surrounded columns, also with inscriptions,
quickly killed them all. When he recognised his fatherhave been found which refer to the original founders
among the dead he prayed to the gods to let theof the city.
earth open at his feet and swallow him. The godsThe remains of the large temple dedicated to
heard him and granted his prayer, and so the earthKamirados Athena, the patron goddess of the city
tore open from under him and swallowed Althameni,since prehistoric time, can be discerned at the hilltop.
the founder of Kamiros. Within this legend there is aThe temple is located behind a large building which
small grain of truth, for this myth documents thedates from the 3rd century BC. This building is a large
historical arrival of Cretans to the area. The namestoa like structure built in the Doric order with a double
Kamiros is an echo of the name lerapetra on Creterow of columns surrounding it. Its length on the longest
and the worship of the Milatinous gods wasside is 200m and it resembles a stoa in that in the
widespread on prehistoric Crete. Zeus Milatinos andback there are rooms and shops. Within the stoa a
Malia, both chthonian deities, reveal the "underworld"large cistern was found whose measurements are
characteristic which is so prevalent in all the religions of38m long, 10m wide and 3m deep, and which dates
prehistoric man.from the 6th century BC. The cistern had a capacity
The area of Kamiros, Kamiris, was much smaller into hold approximately 600 cubic meters of water
comparison to the other two ancient cities. It was thewhich was more than enough to sustain 400 families
most fertile area on the island. The worship of theduring the dry months. During the Hellenistic Period the
Milatinous gods, the gods who taught man the reapingcistern was covered over. In the area just before the
of wheat and the making of bread, must have hadcistern the platform of a Hellenistic altar can be seen. It
some religious associations with the agriculturalwould not be an exaggeration to liken the surrounding
production of the area. The pottery the city producedarea of Kamiros to that of the largest cemetery of
was well renown and the commercial ties it developedancient Greece which has yielded many rare and
with the other centres surrounding it were of greatvaluable artifacts.
importance. Indeed the ties the city had were not