The Archaeological Area

Naxos was founded in 734 B.C. by Calcidesi of Eubea led by Tùcles.

Nearby the town raised the pagan altar of Apollo Archegetes, so that Naxos always has had a religious pre-eminence over the other Greek colonies in Sicily.

Sided with Athens against Syracuse, it was destroyed by Dionysus I in 403 B.C. and became a small village without importance.

In late Roman and Byzantine periods it was developed a centre along the shores of its bay.

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The escavations have brought to the light the walls of the VI century B.C., built with great irregular polygonal blocks of lavic stone.

It has been discovered a little part whose structure is of megalith and orthogonally to it there is another boundary wall with a polygonal structure which looks over the sea.

In this there are two city doors, the door closer to the corner is adjacent to a rampart which was the themenos or sacred area of a divinity, may be Aphrodite.

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Inside sacred area have been found the foundations of a temple of the V century B.C., whith a long shape.

To South-East of the temple two brick furnaces dating back to the first half of the VI century B.C. were already buried when the temple was built.

Under the sacred area have been found some graves belonging to Bronze age.