Lyctus

Lyctus or Lyttos (Greek: polytonic|Λύκτος or polytonic|Λύττος), was one of the most considerable cities in ancient Crete, which appears in the Homeric catalogue. ("Il." ii. 647, xvii. 611.)

Lyctus in mythology

According to Hesiod, "Theogony" 477, Rhea gave birth to Zeus in a cave of Mount Aegaeon, near Lyttos. The cave has been identified since the late nineteenth century as Psychro. The inhabitants of this ancient Doric city called themselves colonists of Sparta (Arist. "Pol." ii. 7), and the worship of Apollo appears to have prevailed there. (Callimachus "Hymn to Apollo" 33; comp. Müller, "Dorians", vol. i. pp. 141, 227, "trans.")

History

In 344 BCE, Phalaecus the Phocian assisted the Cnossians against their neighbors the Lyctians, and took the city of Lyctus, from which he was driven out by Archidamus, king of Sparta. (Diod. xvi. 62.) The Lyctians, at a still later period, were engaged in frequent hostilities with Cnossus, and succeeded in creating a formidable party in the island against that city. The Cnossians, taking advantage of their absence on a distant expedition, surprised Lyctus, and utterly destroyed it. The citizens, on their return, abandoned it, and found refuge at Lampa. Polybius (iv. 53, 54), on this occasion, bears testimony to the high character of the Lyctians, as compared with their countrymen. They afterwards recovered their city by the aid of the Gortynians, who gave them a place called Diatonium, which they had taken from the Cnossians. (Polyb. xxiii. 15, xxiv. 53.) Lyctus was sacked by Metellus at the Roman conquest (Liv. "Epit." xcix.; Flor. iii. 7), but was existing in the time of Strabo (x. p. 479) at a distance of 80 stadia from the Libyan sea. (Strab. p. 476; comp. Steph. B. "s. v."; Scyl. p. 18; Plin. iv. 12; Aesych. "s. v." polytonic|Καρνησσόπολις; Hierocl.) The site still bears the name of "Lytto", where ancient remains are now found. (Pashley, "Trav." vol. i. p. 269.) In the 16th century, the Venetian mauscripts (Mus. Class. Ant. vol. ii. p. 274) describes the walls of the ancient city, with circular bastions, and other fortifications, as existing upon a lofty mountain, nearly in the centre of the island. Numerous vestiges of ancient structures, tombs, and broken marbles, are seen, as well as an immense arch of an aqueduct, by which the water was carried across a deep valley by means of a large marble channel. The town of Arsinoe and the harbor of Chersonesos are assigned to Lyctus. The type on its coins is usually an eagle flying, with the epigraph "ΛΥΤΤΙΩΝ" (Eckhel, vol. ii. p.316; Töck, "Kreta", vol. i. pp. 13, 408, vol. ii. pp. 431, 446, vol. iii. pp. 430, 465, 508.)

References

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