Olous
Olous or Olus (Ancient Greek: Ὄλους,[1][2] or Ὄλουλις[3]) is an ancient, sunken city situated at the present day town of Elounda, Crete, Greece.
History
After continuing boundary disputes with the hillfort of Lato,[4] the citizens of Olous eventually entered into a treaty with those of Lato.[5] There was a temple to Britomartis in the city, a wooden statue of whom was erected by Daedalus, the mythical ancestor of the Daedalidae, and father of Cretan art.[6] Her effigy is represented on the coins of Olous.[7]
Present conditions
Archaeologists discovered ancient texts within the ruins linking the town with the ancient cities of Knossos and the island of Rhodes.[8] The sunken city can be visited by tourists swimming in Elounda Bay. Today, the only visible remnants of the city are some scattered wall bases.
Line notes
- ^ Scyl. p. 19, Xenion, ap. Steph. B. s. v.
- ^ Ptol. iii. 17. § 5
- ^ Stadiasm. 350
- ^ C.Michael Hogan, Lato Fieldnotes, The Modern Antiquarian, Jan 10, 2008
- ^ Böckh, Inscr. vol. ii. No. 2554.
- ^ Pausan. ix. 40. § 3.
- ^ Eckhel, vol. ii. p. 316; Théodore Edme Mionnet, Descr. vol. ii. p. 289; Combe, Mus. Hunter.
- ^ SEG_23.547 - treaty between Rhodes and Olous.
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
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(help)- Tourist site of the Spina Longa area
35°15′18″N 25°43′59″E / 35.2550°N 25.7331°E