Lasithi Plateau

Coordinates: 35°11′N 25°28′E / 35.183°N 25.467°E / 35.183; 25.467
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Oropedio Lasithiou
Οροπέδιο Λασιθίου
Municipality
Panorama of the Lasithi Plateau
Panorama of the Lasithi Plateau
UTC+3 (EEST)
Vehicle registrationAN
WebsiteOropedio.gr

The Lasithi Plateau (Greek: Οροπέδιο Λασιθίου, Oropedio Lasithiou) is a high endorheic plateau, located in the Lasithi regional unit in eastern Crete, Greece. Since the 1997 Kapodistrias reform, it is a municipality whose seat is Tzermiado [el] and the second biggest village is Agios Georgios. The municipality has an area of 129.9 km2.

Geography

Lasithi windmill.

The Lasithi Plateau stretches 11 km (6.8 mi) in the E-W direction and 6 km (3.7 mi) in the N-S direction. It is approximately 70 km (43 mi) east from

endorheic, and there is impermeable rock just below the surface of the ground. Floodwater from the plateau is diverted via a 3.5 km tunnel to Aposelemis Dam
reservoir.

History

Lasithi Plateau by Marco Boschini, 1651
Monument in Kroustalenia commemorating the destruction of Lasithi by Ottoman and Egyptian forces in May 1867.

The fertile soil of the plateau, due to

rebellions
and strong resistance, villages were demolished, cultivation prohibited, and natives were forced to leave and forbidden to return under penalty of death. A Venetian manuscript of the thirteenth century describes the troublesome plateau of Lasithi as spina nel cuore (di Venezia) - a thorn in the heart of Venice. Later, in the early 15th century, Venetian rulers allowed refugees from the Greek mainland (eastern Peloponnese) to settle in the plain and cultivate the land again. To ensure good crops, Venetians designed a large system of drainage ditches (linies, Greek: λίνιες) that were constructed between 1514 - 1560 and are still in use. The ditches transfer the water to Honos (Greek: Χώνος), a sinkhole in the west edge of the plateau, that feeds the river Aposelemis.

During the

Cretan revolt, Ottoman and Egyptian forces under the command of Pashas Omar and Ismail Selim marched towards the Lasithi plateau.[4] Their aim was to strike a decisive blow on the revolutionaries who used it as their hideout. After fierce fighting, the outnumbered rebels were defeated and forced to retreat to the slopes of Dikti. Between 21 and 29 of May, many village dwellers were slaughtered or taken as slaves, their homes were set ablaze after being looted and livestock and crops were destroyed.[5]
The monastery of Kroustalenia that was the seat of the revolutionary committee was also demolished.

During the

Axis occupation of Greece in 1941–1944, the peaks surrounding the plateau were used as hideouts by local resistance
fighters.

Archaeological sites

There are several caves of archaeological interest in the plateau and surrounding mountains. The

Europa. The archeological site of Karfi, believed to be the last outpost of the Minoan civilization
is located in the mountains immediately north of the plateau.

Economy

Permanent residents derive most of their income from agriculture and animal farming, a smaller number from tourism.

Population genetics studies

Because of its isolated nature, the Lasithi plateau has attracted the attention of population geneticists. A 2007

mtDNA study of bone samples from a Minoan ossuary in the Lasithi Plateau, dated to 4,400-3,700 years ago, showed that Minoan samples were closest to samples drawn from the modern population of the plateau, as well as other Greek, western and northern European samples, while being distant from North African and Egyptian samples. According to the authors, these results are consistent with the hypothesis the plateau served as a Minoan refugium, and that the current inhabitants of the plateau carry the maternal signature of the Minoan population.[7]

Gallery

The Plateau seen from the north (from above Tzermiado)
The Plateau seen from the north

See also

References

  1. ^ "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
  2. ^ Watrous, 1982, p.33
  3. ^ Watrous, Livingston Vance (1982). Lasithi: A History of Settlement on a Highland Plain in Crete (PDF). Hesperia Supplement. Vol. 18. Princeton, NJ: American School of Classical Studies in Athens.
  4. ISBN 9780872897755
    .
  5. ^ Γ. Παναγιωτάκης: Οι μάχες του Οροπεδίου Λασιθίου, Πατρίς onLine, 2 Ιουνίου 2006
  6. PMID 17264870
    .
  7. PMID 23673646
    .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lasithi Plateau.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lasithi plateau.
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