TILOS GUIDA VIAGGIO

TILOS > ARCHEOLOGIA

ARCHEOLOGIA

Castle of Megalo Horio

One of the most important castles of the Byzantine period, repaired in the Knights’ period, is the one over Megalo Horio. During antiquity there was a Hellenistic acropolis in the same spot, traces of which can be seen on the lower parts of the walls and especially in the main gate and the perimeter. In some places even polygonal constructions can be discerned, dating from the Archaic period. A series of stone steps after the gate leads to the spot where there was probably a temple vowed to Pythios Apollo and Poliada Athena. In its place now stands the temple of Taxiarchis, built in the post-Byzantine period with interesting remnants of murals of the 15th-17th century.

Under the castle in the south slope of the hill, there are remnants of the ancient settlement. It is dated around the 4th century b.C. and considered one of the most important Doric settlements yet discovered.

Ancient and Byzantine Cemetery

After a request by his family doctor Mr. Kammas, Professor of Geology and Paleontology of the University of Athens, Nikolaos Symeonidis came to Tilos to study the human skulls that were visible among the sea’s rocks. The coin found inside the mouth of a skull gave the first dating of the anthropological findings at around 800 a.C. (It was during this visit on occasion of this research, that the professor discovered the fossils of the dwarf elephants at cave Harkadio).

Today it is well known that in the area there used to be an ancient and Byzantine cemetery now covered by seawater. The corroded anthropological remnants are in the “beachrocks” inside the rocks which were created through the blend of sand and are called bluestones. When weather permits and the sea is calm, the visitor can discern the remains of the ancient cemetery and the human remnants under its surface. In the ancient tombs several additional pieces of pottery have been found, since people back then would bury their dead with their personal belongings.

Skulls of the Byzantine period collected here are included in the exhibition of Dwarf Elephants at Megalo Horio.