Priniatikos Pirgos site
Priniatikos Pirgos is a small peninsula in the area of village Kalo Chorio, province Mirabelo, between the two lovely beaches of Agios Panteleimon and Karavostasis and very close to the estuary of the river Kalos. Despite the name of the area (pirgos means tower in Greek), you will not see any tower, but a very important archaeological site. The most important with this area that caught the attention of our ancestors is its continued use and occupation in different periods of history, which began before our known Minoan civilization, from the Neolithic Age to the Ottoman occupation in Crete.
Excavations at the site were carried out by both the American and Irish Archeological Schools. Several workshops and ceramic kilns have been found indicating the residents' involvement in ceramic art. The location of the settlement with its natural harbor right next to it was ideal for the trade of pottery. Access to the archaeological site is very easy from the beach of Agios Panteleimonas, from where the trail helps us to reach the area of the small hill that hosts the excavations. There are broken potsherds everywhere and excavations have not been completed in many places due to lack of funding and are awaiting their continuation.
Just behind and south of Priniatikos Pirgos there are many orchards and vegetable gardens in the most fertile part of the whole province, which is the plain of Kalo Chorio. At the periphery of the area and along the sea front there are many tamarisk trees, while on the east side the landscape changes and we have an impressive scene of dozens of prickly pears and agaves.
