Ancient Ierapytna (Ierapetra)
The current city of Ierapetra was built on the site of the ancient town of Ierapytna. Its current name Ierapetra was preceded by other names such as Kyrva, Kamiros, Pytna, and Ierapytna.
The position of Ierapytna at the narrowest point of Crete was strategic for the commercial transactions of the era. Monuments have been found scattered under the current modern city, while after 2013 the ancient theater at Viglia was revealed.
The city's main rival was the town of Praesus in the mountains of Sitia, which it completely destroyed in 155 BC. Then Ierapytna acquired the largest territory in Crete since in 150 BC it had an area from Tsoutsouras to the area of Xerokambos. Its main rival then was Itanos, next to today's Vai. A bone of contention with Itanos was the island of Lefki, which was important for processing the purple shell.
During the Roman era, Ierapytna flourished and became one of the most cosmopolitan cities of the Roman Empire in Crete. To the west of the city, the Naumachia is still preserved today, something like a water theater where naval battles were reenacted. At the same time, its port became particularly important due to the easy access to Egypt.
Ierapetra maintained its importance during the First Byzantine Period but was later destroyed by the Arabs. During the Venetian occupation, the Venetians again gave great importance to the city and its fortification, building the castle of Ierapetra and enlarging the port with the Kales fortress after 1626. Traces of the wall still exist today.
