EXCAVATIONS AT GOURNIA. CRETE. 5(U 



seasons of ubundant rain like 1008 it o'ives good yields of olives, 

 carobs, grapes, and "Tain; l)ut in dry .years like IDOl it is ])arclied 

 and fruitless. More fertile, l)eeause better watered, is the lovely 

 valley of Kalo Kliorio, which occupies the northwest corner of the 

 isthmus, descending to the (lulf of IMirabello. Between Kavousi and 

 Kalo Khorio" the coast, though utterly barren, is wonderfully beau- 

 tiful. At Pachyammos there is a good beach; elsewhere steep cliffs, 

 alternating with coves, form a coast line as picturesque as any in 

 southern Europe, and within these coves rest waters as clear and 

 rich in color as those of Capri. The main highway of Crete, con- 

 necting Sitia, Herakleion (Candia), Rethymo, and Canea, follows 

 this coast and near Pach^'ammos meets the road that crosses the 

 isthmus from Hierapetra. Since the earliest times this isthnnis road 

 must have been in constant use, for no other route across the island 

 is so short, so level, so direct. Halfway between the two seas stands 

 Episkopi, and side roads lead east to Monasteraki, Kato Khorio, and 

 Apano Khorio, at the foot of the Thriphte Range, and west to 

 Vasiliki and Kentri, situated on low hills. From Episkopi south 

 the lowland widens, and, being Avatered by mountain streams, is 

 richly productive of lemons, oranges, figs, and nnilberries, as well as 

 of the commoner fruits and grains. This cheerful fertility continues 

 until the neighborhood of Hierapetra is reached, a region as barren 

 as the northern shore and far less interesting. 



From time immemorial the isthnnis has been inhabited, and yet it 

 is an interesting fact that with the exception of TTierapetra, where 

 the modern city is built above ruins of Hellenic and Ronuui cities 

 of the same name, the sites occupied at diiferent periods are distinct '^ 

 one from another. Men of the bronze age chose low hills not far 

 from the sea; their successors, a ruder people of the iron age, had 

 strongholds on almost inaccessible mountain heights; CJ reeks and 

 Romans established trading stations on the shore; Venetians and 

 Turks built watch towers and block houses at commanding points for 

 the purpose of holding the unfortunate Cretans in subjection; mod- 

 ern Cretans still prefer the security of the hills, but a seaward move- 

 ment has already begun as a result of the ])eace and order that since 

 the liberation of Crete in 1808 have prevailed throughout the 

 island. * * * 



My first year's work on the isthmus of Hierapetra as Fellow of the 

 American School of Classical Studies at Athens has been described 

 in an article entitled " Excavations at Kavousi, Crete, 1000,"* published 

 in the American Journal of Archeology, second series. Volume V, 

 1001, pages 125-157. Opportunity for a second campaign was given 



(iKaAb{v) Xoopio^j') . beautiful village, is aptly named. 

 '' Azoria Hill may be an unimportant exception to this rule. 

 SM 1904 36 



