KIMOLOS TRAVEL GUIDE

KIMOLOS > ARCHAEOLOGY

ARCHAEOLOGY

Ellinika

Ellinika is a site of great historical and archeological interest. Her we find the remains of the ancient city of Kimolos which was destroyed and foundered under the sea in around 400 B.C. The ruins are still visible today underwater (divers can see them all the way to the opposite islet of Agios Andreas). Research has indicated the existence of a necropolis of the Mycenaean period with tombs carved in the rock, while there is also a cave with three chambers where there were tombs that are now destroyed and desecrated. In the area’s cemetery, which had been used from the Mycenaean up to the Hellenistic period, more than 200 burial urns of the 9th and 8th centuries B.C. have been found. In the area fragments of vessels of the Geometric and Archaic years have also been discovered. Many of the archeological finds are now preserved in the Archeological Museum of Kimolos.

Medieval Castle

The Medieval Castle of Kimolos is the centre of the island’s main settlement, Chorio. It was built by the Venetians between 1640 and 1650 and the island’s residents built their homes around it to protect themselves from pirate raids. The walls of those residences form fortifications and their windows are built like crenellations.

Palaiokastro

The remnants of an ancient settlement are still preserved in Palaiokastro: ruined houses, a circular tower and a part of the external wall that locals call Portara. You can also see the island’s loftiest point there (364 m). On the way, you will also come across “Skiadi”, a geological formation that resembles a mushroom (a result of erosion), which can shade more than forty people. You can also see the cave of Konsolina, which was named after the wife of the French consul, who took refuge there during a pirate raid.