ANCIENT CITY OF LISSOS
Ancient city of Lissos, once a port and hydrotherapy center, chapel near the beach.
A nice cultural visit before going to the beach at Agiοs Kirikos. Lissos was the port of the ancient Eliros (Dorian period). It was one of the few cities in Crete to mint gold coins, with a dolphin engraved on one side and the inscription "lission" on the other. The archaeological research undertaken in 1958 brought to light many human-sized (headless) statues, some of which can be found in the Archaeological Museum of Hania. A curiosity has also been excavated: a gold bracelet in the shape of a snake bearing the engraved inscription "acklak". The snake has a particular importance in the ancient Greek religion: in the temple of Asclepius (on the left as you arrive) dating from the Hellenistic period, living snakes were kept to symbolize the therapeutic spirit of the gods. This is why the snake became the emblem of medicine. Lissos was an important hydrotherapy centre and the water from its source was reputed to have healing powers. Even today, shepherds still descend from the Omalos plateau to hibernate in Lissos when the snows covered the Lefka Ori (White Mountains). A superb fragment of the mosaic dating from the Roman period was discovered during archaeological excavations in the temple of Asclepius. Also to be seen, on the west side of the hill, are tombs from the same period and two small chapels, one of which near the beach was partly built with engraved stones from the Dorian period.
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