A few things about our hotel and our Place

Falasarni, a Cretan nymph , took her name from this city located on the cape of Gramvoussa. Excavations of the ancient city of Falasarna have unearthed an ancient port, part of the city and the necropolis. Founded in the 6th century BC by the Dorians, the city reached its peak in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. It was then that the city-state was fortified with thick walls and a port was built on the site of a lagoon. Falasarna became an important commercial port, trading on the Mediterranean routes, especially with the Phoenicians. The decline was gradual over the following centuries, with the incessant wars fought by the Cretan city-states. Falassarna soon became a den of pirates, which provoked the ire of Rome: the Romans disembarked in 69 BC to close the port. Falassarna holds on as best it can until the gigantic earthquake of 365. The whole western part of Crete then rose by almost ten metres, which had the effect of pulling the port out of the water. This marks the definitive end of the ancient city. The visit is worthwhile, especially at the end of the day, when the sun is low. The surrounding landscape offers a magnificent panorama: olive groves on the mountain carved out of caves and curious white rock formations advancing towards the sea. Along the way you will see an ancient throne, probably dedicated to the masters of the sea: Poseidon for the Greeks and Astarte for the Phoenicians (protective goddess of the sailors).

Falasarna was mentioned by the ancient historians and geographers Scylax, Strabo, Polybius, Livy, Pliny, Dionysius Kalliphontis, and the anonymous geographer known as Stadiasmus. The ancient geographers took note of the artificial closed port carved out of a lagoon and ringed with fortification walls and towers. Falasarna was a maritime power, the harbor was the reason for the city’s existence, the source of its wealth, and led to its recognition. A city-state with its own laws and minting its own coins, Falasarna provided military advisers and thousands of mercenaries for a war under the Macedonian king Perseus against the Romans (Livy).

Falasarna was involved in two major wars with neighboring city-states during the Hellenistic period. The first was with Polyrrhenia, probably triggered by land disputes. It started in the late fourth century and ended around 290 BC, following mediation by Cleonymus of Sparta. The peace treaty was inscribed on a stone tablet which is today in the museum of Kissamos. A second war was fought with Cydonia around 184 BC and the disputes were finally resolved through Roman intervention (Polybius).

The city-state prospered through its maritime affairs, evidenced by the remains of monumental buildings and artwork. The treaty with Polyrrhenia gives evidence that in the third century BC the inhabitants of Falasarna were engaged in piracy, a common practice of the Cretan city-states. In 69-67 BC the Romans sent forces to eliminate piracy from the eastern Mediterranean, stormed Falasarna, blocked its harbor with massive masonry, and destroyed the whole city, probably killing its citizens. No ancient sources testify directly to these events, but evidence of burning and the harbor blockage itself suggest the tentative conclusions of the excavators.