Tarrha or Tarra (), also Tarrhus or Tarros (Τάρρος), was a ''

polis Polis (: poleis) means 'city' in Ancient Greek. The ancient word ''polis'' had socio-political connotations not possessed by modern usage. For example, Modern Greek πόλη (polē) is located within a (''khôra''), "country", which is a πατ ...

'' (city-state) in the southwestern part 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 ...

, near the Samaria Gorge, at the village of Agia Roumeli. It is situated near the sea, on the hill.

History

Tarrha was probably established in the Classical period and was a very important religious centre; it was one of the earliest sites of worship of

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

. Anciently, it was known on the southern coast between Phoenix and Poecilassus. The city flourished in the Greco-Roman period. The city was home to the cult of Apollo Tarrhaios, where parts of his temple have been found. Tarrha is frequently cited in the ancient sources such as Pausanias,

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 ...

, and the ''

Stadiasmus Maris Magni The ''Stadiasmus Maris Magni'' or ''Stadiasmus sive Periplus Maris Magni'' () is an ancient Roman periplus or guidebook detailing the ports sailors encounter on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The ''stadiasmus'' provides distances, sailing ...

''.''

'' §§ 329, 330. Tarrha is one of the cities that signed an agreement 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 ...

in 170 BCE. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, Tarrha was known for its glass workshops. In 1415,

Cristoforo Buondelmonti Cristoforo Buondelmonti () was an Italian Franciscan priest, traveler, and was a pioneer in promoting first-hand knowledge of Greece and its antiquities throughout the Western world. Biography Cristoforo Buondelmonti was born around 1385 into an ...

detected in the ruins of the Temple of Apollo, an inscription in Greek which said: “Peel your shoes, cover your head and come in.” A similar inscription was found at the Temple at Matala. The custom of entering the temple without shoes is ancient. According to

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, Apollo, after murdering

Python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (prog ...

, went to Tarrha to be cleansed through purgatorial rituals ministered by the temple priest, Carmanor. Tarrha minted its own coins. The coins have the head of a Cretan wild goat, an arrow, and a bee. Tarrha had monetary union with

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

Yrtakina Hyrtacina or Hyrtakina (), also written as Hyrsacina or Hyrsakina (Ὑρσακίνα),''Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'' p. 18. or Artacina or Artakina (Ἀρτάκινα), was a city of ancient Crete, which, little as we learn of its position from Ptole ...

, and Lissos. The coins belong to the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE, when Tarrha became a member of the Republic of Cretans. The city had established a colony of the same name in the Caucasus. It is also believed that Tarra of south Italy was another colony of the city. It probably founded Lampa, also found on Crete, as well. It was the birthplace of the author Lucillus of Tarrha (or ''Loukillos''). He commented on the ''Argonauts'' of

Apollonius of Rhodes Apollonius of Rhodes ( ''Apollṓnios Rhódios''; ; fl. first half of 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek author, best known for the ''Argonautica'', an epic poem about Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Go ...

. In mythology,

Chrysothemis In Greek mythology, Chrysothemis or Khrysothemis (; , "golden law") is a name ascribed to several female characters in Greek mythology. * Chrysothemis, daughter of Carmator and the first winner of the oldest contest held at the Pythian Games, ...

, a poet and the son of Carmanor, was from Tarrha as well. He was a victor at the

Pythian Games The Pythian Games () were one of the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. Founded circa the 6th century BCE, the festival was held in honor of the god Apollo and took place at his sanctuary in Delphi to commemorate the mytho-historic slayin ...

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...

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 ...

was the first modern archaeologist to find the location of the city and investigate it. The area held scattered stone

stele A stele ( ) or stela ( )The plural in English is sometimes stelai ( ) based on direct transliteration of the Greek, sometimes stelae or stelæ ( ) based on the inflection of Greek nouns in Latin, and sometimes anglicized to steles ( ) or stela ...

which are inscribed with a double axe symbol. One is exhibited at the

Archaeological Museum of Chania The Archaeological Museum of Chania () is a museum that was located in the former Venetian Monastery of Saint Francis at Chalidon Street, Chania, Crete, Greece. It was established in 1962. In 2020 this location closed and Chania's new archaeologica ...

Sources

Catholic Encyclopaedia ''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...

1911 Encyclopædia Britannica Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 Mom ...

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