Greece - Itanos

The archaeological survey expedition at Itanos is an interdisciplinary scientific project, the main purpose of which is to chart the course of human occupation in the far eastern peninsula of Crete around the ancient ruins of Erimoupoli (in the Palaikastro district). The area surveyed covers almost 20 km2 and represents about a sixth of the territory of the Greek city-state of Itanos during the Hellenistic period.

Research conducted in the Itanos chora, the main aim of which was to place the history of the Greek polis in its regional context, also demonstrated that there was human occupation in the area from the FinalNeolithic period onwards, with a phase of intense activity during the Neopalatial Minoan period. In this way, the regional survey helps us to understand the modes of occupation and land use over the centuries under various political regimes and systems of government.