Adravastoi, Siteia

Adravastoi (Αδραβάστοι) is a village in the Community of Zakros, in the municipality of Sitia, in Lasithi, eastern Crete. According to the 2011 census, it has 29 inhabitants. It is located 35.5 kilometers south of Sitia, on the road that leads to Zakros. It is built at an altitude of 300 meters, on the eastern foothills of the Handra-Modi plateau. The village’s economy is based on agricultural and livestock production, with home-based processing. Since 2008, a small tourist business has also been operating.

History

Traces of habitation have been found on the Entichis elevation, west of the village. It was initially thought to be a peak sanctuary, but excavations in the area in 1972 did not find idols, but weaving weights and stone and clay tools, indicating that it was dwellings.

The etymology of the name is unknown. According to Stephanos Xanthoudidis, the name of the village comes from the Byzantine surname Ardavastos or Artavasdos, possibly the surname of a soldier who settled in Crete after its recapture by Nikephoros Phocas in 961. However, Stergios Spanakis reports that the village is not mentioned in the Venetian censuses and that it is probably a newer village. Nikos Papadakis reports that the village was probably destroyed by a pirate raid in 1471 and repopulated after the 16th century.

The village is mentioned in the Egyptian census of 1834 as Adhravasto with 10 Christian families. In 1881 it had 75 inhabitants, all Christians, and belonged to the municipality of Karydi. In 1900 it was under the municipality of Itanos. In 1925 it was annexed to the community of Zakros. In 1997, with the Kapodistrias program, it was annexed to the municipality of Itanos and with the Kallikratis program to the municipality of Sitia.

Description

The village develops linearly following the terrain. It is located in a position that overlooks the sea and is close to arable land. The settlement is organized around the old fountain and developed semicircularly around it. In 1968, the village’s aqueduct was built in the place of the old fountain. Today, almost all the internal roads of the village have been covered with cement. On the road leading to the aqueduct, a small cement bridge has been built to allow a small wheeled vehicle to reach it.

The village lacks gathering places and there is no school or health center. The only communal spaces in the village are the olive press-factory, which is now abandoned, and the oven. In the village is the two-aisled church of Agios Dimitrios and Zoodochos Pigi. Most of the village’s buildings are single-storey while there are some two-storey buildings, with a defensive character, which however do not fully utilize the ground floor space. The buildings are box-shaped and built of rubble masonry (uncut stone) and only the stones around the openings are carved and decorative elements are absent and very few have a courtyard. The houses are plastered with plaster consisting of reddish, argillaceous soil, lime and sand. The roofs are earthen in the old houses while in newer roofs of concrete or metal sheet.

The settlement is 16 km from Palaikastro and 34 km from Sitia and is located between Palekastro and Zakros. It belongs to the Municipality of Itanos.

The etymology of its name is unknown. It may be a family name. It is not mentioned in the 1583 census, but it is believed (see R. Faure. Villes et villages de le Crete orientale. Kritologia I, 1975, p. 31) that along with other villages it was destroyed by the raids of Turkish pirates in 1471, deserted, but repopulated after the 16th century AD.

The area of Adravastos includes the elevation of Entichis (560 m) west of the settlement. Initially, the opinion was formed that it was a peak sanctuary, but archaeological research in 1972 proved that it is not a sanctuary. Various objects were collected, such as weaving weights, a stone hone, clay sling bullets, but not a single figurine, which excludes the existence of a peak sanctuary and should probably be considered as a place of simple habitation.

Settlement: Key Points

Historical References: The village is believed to have been destroyed by a pirate raid in 1471 and repopulated after the 16th century.
Location: Adravastoi (Αδραβάστοι) is located in eastern Crete, in the municipality of Sitia.
Historical Significance: The village has a long history, with traces of habitation found on the Entichis elevation dating back to ancient times.
Population Data: