Kleio
The village that has been named in honor of the Muse “Kleio” looks down upon the shoreline from an altitude of 350 meters. In the vicinity of Kleio we find numerous ruins of ancient settlements, and recent archaeological digs have brought to light the remains of a community dating back to the early Bronze Age period (around 3200 B.C.) at Paliokastro. This is the spot where it is believed that a magnificent statue of the Muse Kleio originally stood, prior to being looted by pirates at some point in time. In the city of Heracleia in Italy, there is an ancient mural depicting this Muse, which is considered to be the matron of History and Rhetoric.  The ancient communities that existed here during the middle ages and the Turkish occupation were constantly living under the threat of pirate raids, forcing the locals to head up to the spot where Kleio is today, in order to be able to survey the open seas and be forewarned of any impending attacks.  The first buildings in Kleio were constructed in the area known as Platanos, all the way up to the Hamam (Roman Bath), and were hardly visible from the sea. In the centuries that followed, the village expanded significantly, once the pirates’ raids finally ended.    |
