Rokka is a hilly village at the region of Kissamos, in the heartland of west Crete. It is built at an altitude of 210 m, in a natural environment of unparalleled beauty, on the slope of an impressively high rock, towering over the surroundings. At the south edges of the rock are traced the remains of an ancient settlement, built on the slope and extending over the modern village. Parts of the Hellenistic houses of the 4th century B.C. are located under the modern houses.
The notion that the name is Venetian and derives from the Italian worcl
'rocca' (meaning fortress on a natural slope) seems unfounded, since the name
has been already mentioned by Aelian (II, 55) in the 3rd century A.D. This
reference on the preservation of the name leads to the identification of the
Hellenistic settlement as the ancient Rokka. The Roman author in his novel 'On
the nature of Animals' (De Natura Animalium) refers to the sanctuary of Artemis
Rhokkaia, famous for her healing properties.
On top of the Troulli hill, on a natural acropolis, few ruins of a
Byzantine fortress are preserved. In 1905-1906, Giuseppe Gerola, an Italian
archaeologist, visited the area and recorded the fortification as well as the
remains of cisterns ( and other constructions. Their construction type dates to
the Roman period, like the neighboring cisterns of Polyrhinnia.
Going downhill along the slope to the south, remains of the ancient
settlement can be traced, suggesting that the area was densely populated. These
are houses, carved in limestone, with built facades on their two or three
sides, which are not | preserved today. Furthermore, carved stairways, rainwater
canals and pipes, as well as underground cisterns for its storage, are
preserved.
The necropolis lies outside the ancient settlement, on the low slopes,
SE and SW to the modern village. It includes rock-cut chamber tombs of
rectangular shape and cist graves.
In 1960, the late archaeologist Nikolaos Platon excavated a two-storey
chamber tomb. Several > vessels were brought to light including an amphora
with molded emblems and twisted handles. The vessel has four emblems depicting
mythological themes related to heroic labors. Hercules is depicted in one of them,
holding his club, ready to attack at the demonic dog Cerberus. On the other
side, Jason fights the Colchian dragon, the guardian of the Golden Fleece.
These ribbed vessels form a characteristic group of vessels which circulated in
the Ptolemaic Era, in Alexandria of Egypt and in Crete, mainly in the western
part. It seems that in the wider area of Rokka, a local pottery workshop has
developed.
In 1986, along the local road from Rokka to Kera, three tombs with rich
pottery offerings were recovered. The finds date from the late 4th century B.C.
to the first half of the 2nd century B.C. All vessels, including a pointed
amphora, a hydria, two i lids, a skyphos, a kantharos, perfume vases etc.,
belong to the same local pottery workshop of the wider area of Kissamos. They
demonstrate apparent influences from big centers of the era, such as Alexandria
and Macedonia as well as Athens, Corinth and Rhodes. These influences confirm
the city's relations with the rest of the Hellenistic world. Today, at the
Archaeological Museum of Kissamos, almost all archaeological finds recovered
from the area, are exhibited.
Central to this unique archaeological site it is organized every summer
at the villages of Rokka and Kera the 'Festival of Rokka', a meeting between
society , and culture. Through a dynamic and original program of events, the
whole area is transformed into an open cultural stage, where musical, artistic and
theatrical productions reveal the local cultural physiognomy, attracting
thousands of visitors. At the remote and rough ancient acropolis of Rokka, on
top of a gorge of rare beauty, established musicians and artists present timeless
works, redefining the artistic expression and creating new powerful conditions
of communication through it.
SOURCE: Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports. ARCHIVES of Culture, 18.9.2024.
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