Lentas
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Lentas (
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
Λέντας), Lentas is a coastal village 75 km south of
Heraklion Heraklion or Herakleion ( ; , , ), sometimes Iraklion, is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in G ...
, on the south coast of
Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
in
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. It belongs to the community of
Miamou Miamou () is a mountain village and a community in Greece (elevation 353 metres) 60 km south of Heraklion, on the south of Crete. It belongs to the municipality of Gortyn. The community, which includes the villages Lentas, Dyskos, Krotos and ...
within the municipality of
Gortyn Gortyn, Gortys or Gortyna (, , or , ) is a municipality, and an archaeological site, on the Mediterranean island of Crete away from the island's capital, Heraklion. The seat of the municipality is the village Agioi Deka. Gortyn was the Roman c ...
a.


Origins of the name

The name of Lentas possibly derives from the Greek word Λέοντας (in English, "
lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...
"). It refers to the lion-shaped cape that makes the small protected bay of Lentas. This cape is documented in medieval maps as Cape Liontas (
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
Ακρ. Λιώντας).


Climate

According to the station of
National Observatory of Athens The National Observatory of Athens (NOA; ) is a research institute in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest List of research institutes in Greece, research foundation in Greece. The Observatory was the first scientific research insti ...
, Lentas has a
hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
(
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
: ''BSh'') with mild winters and hot summers. Lentas has an average annual temperature of around 21.0 °C and an average annual precipitation of around 360 mm. Lentas alongside
Psari Forada Psari Forada is a seaside village in Heraklion regional unit, in Crete, Greece. It is situated in the Libyan Sea, 21 km west of Ierapetra. The local church is a tourist attraction. The seaside village of Sidonia is an extension of Psari For ...
are the warmest and driest areas of
Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
. Also, Lentas falls in 11a plant
hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...
.


History

Lentas has been inhabited since the
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
and Early Minoan period (3rd millennium BC). Lentas () was one of the two harbours of
Gortyn Gortyn, Gortys or Gortyna (, , or , ) is a municipality, and an archaeological site, on the Mediterranean island of Crete away from the island's capital, Heraklion. The seat of the municipality is the village Agioi Deka. Gortyn was the Roman c ...
, which became the most prominent city of Crete after the fall of
Knossos Knossos (; , ; Linear B: ''Ko-no-so'') is a Bronze Age archaeological site in Crete. The site was a major centre of the Minoan civilization and is known for its association with the Greek myth of Theseus and the minotaur. It is located on th ...
. At the beginning of the 4th century BC, the Gortynians established a sanctuary of
Asclepius Asclepius (; ''Asklēpiós'' ; ) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of Apollo), Coronis, or Arsinoe (Greek myth), Ars ...
at the harbour. An earthquake in 46 BC destroyed the city, but it was subsequently rebuilt. Gortyn became the capital of the
province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
during the Roman era, which also comprised
Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika (, , after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between the 16th and 25th meridians east, including the Kufra District. The coastal region, als ...
(now eastern
Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
). It is believed that Leben became a
sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...
where sick wealthy Romans, mainly from North Africa, received treatment. The treatment consisted of a diet with mineral water from an ancient spring near the temple of Asklepios, which was believed to have therapeutic properties and local fruits. In the early Christian and Byzantine periods, a small settlement developed and a basilica was erected. The small Byzantine church of St. John was built in the 14th century. The archaeological investigation of the site started after the first visit of the English captain H. Spratt, in the middle of the 19th century. Excavations were carried out by the Italian Archaeological School at Athens in 1900, 1910, and 1912–13, and revealed the sanctuary and other buildings. Since then no excavation had taken place in the ancient city until recent years when the investigations of the Greek Archaeological Service brought to light the Minoan settlement and graves. The archaeological area comprises the sanctuary of Asclepius and the
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
church of St John. Today, Lentas is a popular tourist destination and has rural and stock farming activities.


References


External links


Official Website lentas.grWeather Forecast for Lentas
{{Coord, 34, 56, N, 24, 55, E, region:GR_type:city_source:enwiki-GNS, display=title Populated places in Heraklion (regional unit) Gortyn Port settlements in ancient Crete Religion in ancient Crete Temples of Asclepius