Smari Citadel (Acropolis Smari)
The Smari citadel is the fortified acropolis of a Bronze Age and Early Iron Age settlement on the hill of Profitis Ilias, above the village of Smari, south-east of Heraklion. Smari has been excavated by D. Hatzi-Vallianou of the Archaeological Institute of Crete, whose seasons are recorded from the mid-1990s into the 2000s.
The excavation uncovered a walled acropolis with large halls, a guardhouse and the Sacred House of Athena Ergane, a shrine to the goddess. The work also covered the conservation and presentation of the site, so the remains are laid out to be seen.
The excavations at Smari
The excavations at Smari began with a surface survey in 1977, covering a radius of 3 km around the modern village. That survey, combined with rescue excavation, located tens of new sites and showed that people used the land around Smari continuously from the Early Minoan period to the present day.
The survey widened in 1999 and 2000 to take in the wider Kastelli area, recording sites from the Neolithic to modern times. Around the village and the hill of Profitis Ilias it found settlements, farmsteads, shrines, churches and cemeteries of Minoan and early historical times.
The excavation of the hill itself went alongside environmental studies and a geological survey. The seasons are summarised in the excavation record kept by the French School at Athens and the British School at Athens, and the 2000 season is published in the Greek archaeological journal Archaiologikon Deltion.
What has been found on the acropolis
The acropolis at Smari is enclosed by a circuit wall, with many rooms inside it, some built against the wall and others free-standing. Three buildings stand out in the excavation record.
- Megaron B has a main hall with a central hearth, whose stones have been restored.
- Megaron Γ was probably a guardhouse, built onto the circuit wall and entered by two doors.
- The Sacred House of Athena Ergane has a paved floor, with Early Minoan and Middle Minoan material found beneath it.
The Municipality of Minoa Pediada describes the top of the hill in more detail. A rise of about 30 by 40 m, known as Troulli, carries three parallel long buildings inside a strong wall, together with the Sacred House of Athena Ergane, courtyards and service buildings, all from the Geometric and Orientalizing periods, around 800 to 630 BC.
The Minoan levels lie deeper down, and many date from Middle Minoan II, around 1800 BC. They have produced pithos sherds, conical and carinated cups, jugs, stone tools and stone vases. The municipality dates the use of the site as a whole from the Middle Minoan to the Orientalizing period, about 1800 to 630 BC.
Beyond the acropolis wall
Beyond the acropolis wall, the excavators worked on Megaron 2B, a long rectangular building with three doors. It held sherds, animal bones, stone tools, spindle whorls and loomweights, as well as three bronze fish-hooks.
Megaron 2B ended in a destruction that the pottery dates to Late Minoan IIIC, around the 12th century BC. Charcoal and ash lay on the west side of its floor and on a bench against the west wall. More buildings continue down the southern slopes of the hill.
Around the summit, a settlement grew up inside a second wall entered through a double gate. Besides its megaron-shaped buildings, it held storerooms, workshops and a building with a funeral pyre of Late Minoan IIIC, according to the municipality.
Smari village and its churches
Smari village sits below the acropolis, and the Municipality of Minoa Pediada lists it as a traditional protected settlement. In 2011 the Greek Ministry of Culture and Tourism named Smari second runner-up in its national selection of European Destinations of Excellence.
The village and its hill hold four churches of historical interest, according to the municipality.
- The church of the Panagia, in the village, carries the date 1836 over its door.
- The monastery of Profitis Ilias was built under Ottoman rule over a spring, and some of its monks’ cells survive.
- The chapel of Christ the Saviour, on the slope of Profitis Ilias hill, is covered almost entirely in frescoes in the style of the 14th century.
- The chapel of Agios Georgios, in the plain below the village, has a founder’s inscription of 1320 to 1321, the oldest Byzantine written record of Smari, although its frescoes now lie under plaster.
Two more sites near the village can be visited: a tholos tomb on Leivaditsa hill and a Roman farmhouse at the entrance to the village. From the acropolis itself, the view reaches as far as the island of Dia.
Things to do near Smari
The Smari citadel has 7 villages and sites within 6 km, listed below from nearest to furthest.
- Visit the village of Lagou, 0.9 km west.
- Drive to Kato Karouzana, 2.6 km south-east.
- Head north to Kalo Chorio, 3.3 km away.
- Spend time in Kastelli, the nearest town, 4.5 km south.
- Explore the village of Askoi, 5.1 km south-east.
- Walk the Aposelemis gorge, 5.2 km north.
- See the remains of ancient Lyktos, 5.4 km south-east.
Getting to Smari
Smari lies 27 km south-east of Heraklion and 7 km north-west of Kastelli, according to the Municipality of Minoa Pediada. The citadel stands on the hill of Profitis Ilias above the village, 0.9 km east of Lagou.
Heraklion airport is the nearest airport. The village of Gouves lies 7.6 km north, and Agarathos Monastery stands 9 km to the west.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Smari citadel?
The Smari citadel stands on the hill of Profitis Ilias above the village of Smari, 27 km south-east of Heraklion and 7 km north-west of Kastelli.
How old is the settlement at Smari?
The site at Smari was used from about 1800 to 630 BC, the Middle Minoan to the Orientalizing period, according to the Municipality of Minoa Pediada. Early Minoan material has also been found on the acropolis.
Who excavated Smari?
Smari was excavated by D. Hatzi-Vallianou of the Archaeological Institute of Crete, after a surface survey of the area that began in 1977.
What is the Sacred House of Athena Ergane at Smari?
The Sacred House of Athena Ergane is a shrine to the goddess on the summit of the acropolis, from around 800 to 630 BC. Early Minoan and Middle Minoan material was found below its paved floor.
Has the Smari site been conserved?
The Smari site has been conserved and presented as part of the excavation programme, and the stones of the central hearth in Megaron B have been restored.
Location
Smari Citadel (Acropolis Smari) is located at Smari Citadel, in the Heraklion region of Crete. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
