HEPHAISTA SITE

In classical times, the ancient city of Hephaista, the most important on the island, was dedicated to Hephaestus, the god of fire and ironmaking. The excavations of the archaeological site of Hephaistia were carried out by the Italian School of Archaeology and revealed traces of an almost continuous habitation between the late Bronze Age and the Byzantine period. A necropolis from the ^8th century B.C. illustrates the importance of the city in the Archaic period. The sanctuary of the Great Goddess was in activity until the ^6th century B.C., before being destroyed: remains of the central building are preserved, on two levels. Nearby, important pottery kilns of the Hellenistic period have been excavated (^2nd-1st century B.C.), but it is above all the impressive theater of the same period that catches the attention. It was modified during the Roman period. On the sea side, south-east of the theater, remains of Byzantine dwellings are still visible.

To the north of Hephaista, outside the walls of the city, was located the sanctuary of the Cabires, chtonian deities of which one does not know much, and to which was given a cult with mysteries, like in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods of the island of Samothrace. This sanctuary is one of the oldest in the Aegean world: it was founded at the end of the ^8th century B.C. and was an important center of worship until the end of the Roman period, which testifies to a particularly long practice of this ancient cult. Be sure to go down to the cave of Philoctetes, accessible by a small path.