At any given time, there are about 20 salvage excavations being conducted in Iraklion, the largest city on Crete. Archaeologist Liana Starida is the director of all of the digs throughout the city. She also oversees the reconstruction of its ancient walls and fortresses.

Over the past 20 years, salvage excavations have contributed greatly to scholars’ understanding of the city’s history. Archaeologists now have a clear picture of the size and affluence of the city during Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, and Christian times, as well as Arab, and Byzantine, and Venetian occupations.

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At this salvage site in Iraklion, which will one day be a commercial complex, Starida and her team have excavated Arabic, Byzantine, and Venetian structures, including public buildings, houses, and walls. “We find cities under the city,” she says.

This entry was posted by Eti Bonn-Muller on Monday, July 20, 2009. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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