Ancient Polirinia

Ancient Polirinia is a ruined city on a steep hill above the north Cretan sea, in the Kissamos area of western Crete. The Achaeans are believed to have founded Polirinia around 1100 BC. The city grew through the Roman period into the most important town in western Crete.

Polirinia used two ports, Phalassarna and Kissamos, and traded from them with Sparta, Milos, Rhodes, Thiva, the coasts of Ionia in Asia Minor and Egypt. Livestock mattered as much as trade, which is where the city’s name comes from.

Where the name Polirinia comes from

The name derives from the words polla rinia, meaning many lambs. Flocks were the other half of the local economy alongside the sea trade run through the two ports.

Polirinia and Rome

Polirinia reacted positively to the Roman invasion and was not destroyed, unlike other Cretan cities. It formed an alliance instead, and that alliance let it defeat Kydonia, the most powerful city in western Crete.

The victory brought Polirinia control of the sanctuary of Diktynna on the Spatha peninsula. Kydonia had held western Crete until then.

The coins and the hilltop temple

The city’s coins carry a bull’s head, the voukranio, and Jupiter. On the summit of the hill there once stood a temple to the goddess Artemis or Diktinna.

That temple was demolished in 1894 so the temple of the Holy Fathers could be built. Stone from the original sanctuary went into the church that replaced it.

What survives at Polirinia

Four sets of remains are visible on the hill today.

• Parts of the strong city walls, which date from the Byzantine period.
• A Hellenistic tower.
• An aqueduct.
• A temple.

The Cretan Sacrifices and Agamemnon

Greeks still use the phrase Cretan Sacrifices for a desire or a purpose that goes unfulfilled. The phrase comes from a story about Agamemnon and Polirinia.

Agamemnon anchored on his way home from the Trojan War to offer a sacrifice to the gods of Polirinia. The prisoners on board started fires while he was ashore, and he had to leave in a hurry without completing it. The bay he anchored in is covered on our Nopigia beach page, 6.9 km from the ruins.

What to see near ancient Polirinia

Gorges, a cave church and the beaches of the Kissamos coast all sit within a short drive of the hill. These are the places we cover closest to Polirinia, nearest first.

• Kissamos town lies 3.9 km away, one of the two ancient ports of the city.
• Topolia village lies 4.1 km away.
• Sirikari Gorge lies 5.1 km away.
• Topolia Gorge lies 5.1 km away, at that village.
• Chalase Gorge lies 5.3 km away.
• Agia Sofia Cave lies 5.6 km away, the cave church at Topolia.
• Platanos village lies 5.9 km away.
• Damialis beach lies 6.3 km away, also written Ntamiali.
• Roka Gorge lies 6.8 km away.
• Nopigia beach lies 6.9 km away, on Kissamos bay.
• Mesavlia Deliana Gorge lies 7.0 km away.
• Falassarna beach lies 8.4 km away, at the site of the city’s other ancient port.
• Meri Pigadi beach lies 9.0 km away.
• Agios Vasilios and Skotini beaches lie 9.6 km away.
• Skotini beach at Ravdoucha lies 9.7 km away.
• Sfinari beach lies 10.2 km away.

Frequently asked questions

Where is ancient Polirinia?

Ancient Polirinia sits on a steep hill overlooking the north Cretan sea, 3.9 km from Kissamos town in western Crete. Phalassarna, the city’s other ancient port, lies 8.4 km away.

What does the name Polirinia mean?

Polirinia means many lambs, from the words polla rinia. The name records the livestock the town kept, which sat alongside its sea trade.

What can you see at Polirinia today?

Visitors can see parts of the city walls from the Byzantine period, a Hellenistic tower, an aqueduct and a temple. The temple of the Holy Fathers on the summit was built in 1894 out of material from the earlier sanctuary of Artemis or Diktinna.

Which ports did Polirinia use?

Polirinia used Phalassarna and Kissamos as its ports. Trade ran from them to Sparta, Milos, Rhodes, Thiva, the Ionian coasts of Asia Minor and Egypt.

What are the Cretan Sacrifices?

Cretan Sacrifices is a phrase Greeks use for desires or purposes that are never fulfilled. It comes from Agamemnon’s stop at Polirinia on his way back from Troy, when fires started by the prisoners on his ship forced him to leave before the sacrifice was finished.

Why did Polirinia survive the Roman conquest?

Polirinia reacted positively to the Roman invasion and formed an alliance, so it was not destroyed like other Cretan cities. The alliance then helped it defeat Kydonia and take control of the sanctuary of Diktynna on the Spatha peninsula.