Hyrtacina or Hyrtakina (), also written as Hyrsacina or Hyrsakina (Ὑρσακίνα),''

Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax The ''Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'' is an ancient Greek periplus (περίπλους ''períplous'', 'circumnavigation') describing the sea route around the Mediterranean and Black Sea. It probably dates from the mid-4th century BC, specifically t ...

'' p. 18. or Artacina or Artakina (Ἀρτάκινα), was a city of

ancient Crete The history of Crete goes back to the 7th millennium BC, preceding the ancient Minoan civilization by more than four millennia. The Minoan civilization was the first civilization in Europe. During the Iron Age, Crete developed an Ancient Greece-i ...

, which, little as we learn of its position from

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

and

Stephanus of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephen of Byzantium (; , ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD) was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethnica'' (). Only meagre fragments of the dictionary survive, but the epit ...

, yet we may safely infer from the former's words that it was situated to the southeast of

Polyrrhenia Polyrrhenia or Polyrrenia (; modern ), Polyrrhen or Polyrren (Πολύρρην) or Polyren (Πολύρην), or Pollyrrhenia or Pollyrrenia (Πολλύρρηνα),'' Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'', p. 18 or Polyrrenion (Πολυρρήνιον) or Pol ...

, and to the west of Lappa. The ''

'' teaches us more respecting its site; it places it on the south of the island, and to the south of the Dictynnean temple of

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

and the Pergamian district. These indications agree well with the situation of the ruins discovered by

Robert Pashley Robert Pashley (4 September 1805 – 29 May 1859) was a 19th-century English traveller, lawyer and economist. Pashley was born in York and he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. Distinguished in mathematics and Classics, in 1830 he was elected ...

on Kastri hill between the existing villages Temenia and Papadiana.

, ''Travels'' vol. ii. p. 111.

History

Its history is related to the proximate settlement of Lissus, which is also situated in the

Agia Eirini Gorge Agia Eirini Gorge (Greek ''Φαράγγι Αγίας Ειρήνης''), sometimes called St. Irene Gorge, is located in the south-west of the island of Crete, Greece, in Lefka Ori. The gorge starts near the village of Agia Eirini and it ends nea ...

. It has characteristics of other Archaic Period hilltop forts such as

Lato Lato () was an ancient city of Crete, the ruins of which are located approximately 3 km from the village of Kritsa. History The Dorian city-state was built in a defensible position overlooking Mirabello Bay between two peaks, both of ...

, where the founding was based upon achieving a site of safety or refuge.C.Michael Hogan, ''Lato Fieldnotes'', The Modern Antiquarian, Jan 10, 2008
/ref> The city was autonomous; it issued its own coins, one displaying the images of a Cretan wild goat and a bee named Tarra. Another coin depicted a dolphin and an eight-ray star.

Elyrus Elyrus or Elyros () was a town of ancient Crete, which the ''Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'' places between Cydonia and Lissus. It had a harbour, Syia (Συΐα), situated on the south coast of the island, 60 stadia west of Poecilassus.''Stadiasm ...

, Lissus,

Tarrha Tarrha or Tarra (), also Tarrhus or Tarros (Τάρρος), was a ''polis'' (city-state) in the southwestern part of ancient Crete, near the Samaria Gorge, at the village of Agia Roumeli. It is situated near the sea, on the hill. History Tarrha w ...

, and Hyrtacina had an established monetary union when they joined the Cretan League in the 3rd century BCE. Hyrtacina was one of the Cretan cities that allied with

Eumenes II Eumenes II Soter (; ; ruled 197–159 BC) was a ruler of Pergamon, and a son of Attalus I Soter and queen Apollonis and a member of the Attalid dynasty of Pergamon. Biography The eldest son of king Attalus I and queen Apollonis, Eumenes was pr ...

Archaeology

The area of the city was in Vlithia Valley towards the sea. In the 19th century, Pashley remarked that numerous vestiges of polygonal masonry on the north and west sides, and measuring little more than half a mile (0.8 km) in length, are still existing. On the other sides the city was precipitous. It is curious to observe the care taken by the inhabitants in defending the gateways of their city. Not only do walls project without the gate, but flanking walls are executed within, forming passages through which the enemy would have to pass before he could set foot within the city. There were two cyclopic walls, parts of which can be seen today. They were integral to a city-castle, where watch and defense soldiers lived with their families. At the acropolis there was found a headless marble statue of Pan; it has legs and feet of a goat, and wears mantle. The statue belongs to the Roman period. In 1939, Theophanidis excavated the Temple of Pan.

References

Populated places in ancient Crete Former populated places in Greece Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Crete Cities in ancient Greece Cretan city-states Pan cult sites {{AncientCrete-geo-stub