Lyctus

Lyktos or Lyttos ( Λύκτος ancient Greek, Modern Greek Λύττος ( f sg ) ) is the name of an ancient city in Crete. Today, a nearby village bears the name.

History

The Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep III. mentioned the place in its list of place names as Likata, trading center of Keftiu ( Cretans ). In Linear B clay tablets written in Mycenaean Greek, appeared on the site as Lu -ki -to. In Homer's Iliad, the city is mentioned as Lyktos.

In ancient times Lyktos was considered a Doric foundation or colony of Sparta, which the Egyptian Fund contradicts, because the Dorians are only since about 1200, possibly immigrated to recent research, only from about 1000 BC to Crete. The location on a ridge, however, is typical of the city founded by the Dorians. In the first millennium BC Lyktos grew up in classic time to become one of the most influential poleis on Crete and was in constant competition with the north-west Knossos, from which it was completely destroyed in a war, but was rebuilt afterwards.

At the conquest of Crete by the Romans Lyktos was once again destroyed by forces under the consul Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus.

Mythology

In Greek mythology Lyktos took a central role in the myth of Olympian Zeus. According to Hesiod's Theogony Lyktos was the place where Rhea on the run from her husband Kronos, Zeus gave birth to her third son, and hid in a cave with the Dikti Mountains; by Polybius and Pausanias was Lykaion in Arcadia, the place of birth, and Zeus was brought from Rhea's mother Gaia to Crete and then hidden in the mountains near Aigaischen Lyktos and there raised by Amalthea.

The modern Lyttos

According to the ancient city of the village Xidas ( Ξιδάς ) was renamed beneath the ancient city of Iraklion in Lyttos ( Λύττος Ηρακλείου ). It now belongs to the municipality of Kastelli. The football club Lyttos Ergotelis Heraklion from also bears the name.