SITE ARCHÉOLOGIQUE D'ARCHONTIKI

Psara boasts a glorious history since the insurrection against the Ottomans but sometimes fails to remember that it was an important Mycenaean center, as witnessed by the magnificent archaeological site of Archontiki. Few Psariots will recommend you to come here, although it is the most interesting visit of the whole island - and one of the most exciting of the whole North Aegean! Don't rely on the posted opening hours: you have to call before you go to make sure the gate is open, as few people care about places where a valiant archaeologist and his teams still work. If you are lucky enough to come on a day when he is working, don't hesitate to ask for a visit: he will be happy to explain to you the mysteries and beauties of this city that suddenly disappeared around 1100 BC, after a heyday of several centuries that radiated throughout the Aegean Sea, as far as Crete, Asia Minor and Cyprus. The small museum presents the history of the city and its port, now sunken, and its necropolis where we see the remains of Mycenaean tombs including an impressive tholos . The city of Archontiki was an important commercial center, at the crossroads of the Aegean sea routes: this wealth can be seen in the quality of the offerings found in the necropolis, especially those in honor of a mysterious hero who continued to be glorified until the^5th century BC, long after the destruction of the Mycenaean city.