Azorias Settlement

The Late Minoan settlement of Azorias is located on a hill with two peaks 1km southwest of the village Kavoussi in province Ierapetra . The town flourished in the Archaic Period (7th - 5th century BC).

Today the place is also known for the oldest olive tree in the world, the monumental olive tree of Azorias . The first excavations took place in 1900 by Harriet Boyd , and in 2002 new studies were carried out for 5 more years.

In the center of the settlement the archaeologists revealed public buildings, storerooms, a temple, and the alleys leading to the central court - agora. The inhabitants cultivated the surrounding slopes and valleys with olives, vines, cereals, and were also engaged in fishing, farming and pottery.

Azorias is an important archaeological site, continuously inhabited from the Neolithic Age to the 5th century BC when it was destroyed by fire. It was reinhabited temporarily in 2nd century BC, when a tower overlooking the shores was built.