Letters Syros: Engraved wishes of 2000 years
Letters Syros: Engraved wishes of 2000 years
Since antiquity, the Aegean, with so many islands, has been an element of communication, wealth and civilization. The sea, which today operates many times as an element of isolation, was the great trumpet in Greece. Thus trade with Greek seafarers grew.
Can you imagine that there was a trip to the Aegean in antiquity? How did they manage eight thousand years ago to start from the southern Peloponnese, cross half the Aegean Sea to Milos island to buy and market the obsidian?
The multitude of Aegean islands helped them a lot. That is, the trip was sailing. The cruise was made coast-shore, where that was possible, and it restricted the dangerous points of the trip only to the transition from one island to the next.
They traveled when the weather was good, and the short distances from island to island allowed them to see their next destination and find a sure-footed arawdol on the next island if the weather was dwindling.
Syros in the center of the Aegean Sea has been a hub for the continuation of the trip to the other Cycladic islands since antiquity. In the northern part of the island, they so-called bay of “Grammata” (letters) always offered seafarers a safe haven when the weather was bad. Strongly guarded by the winds, which often blow in the Aegean,but also from the southwest, especially in the northwest, the bay of “Grammata” has been a good, reliable arawdow since antiquity.
At this point, where there are smooth rocks on the coast, they used to tie ships when the weather did not allow them to travel. Here the sailors waited for the weather to continue their journey. During the waiting period, they pray to their gods to thank them for saving them from bad weather and to ask them to continue safely their journey. Their greetings and prayers scattered them to the smooth marble cliffs of the coast. So the bay was named “Letters”.
These inscriptions are saved, albeit tainted by time, even today. According to archaeologists, they date from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages.
The destruction of the waters and winds in about 2000 years that have passed since the time they were carved is less than the disturbances caused by the modern human with his indifference, ignorance, abandonment and vandalism. space is totally unattached, without either a fencing, or an elementary roof. In many places, even alongside the old inscriptions, vandals are engraving their names and the date of their visit, usually in the last 15-20 years.
The only thing the Ministry of Culture has done is to put a simple billboard without any information about the place. In the area, before 1950, even illegal marble mining, which has destroyed much of the inscriptions! Surface skeins of the rock have begun to decouple by continuing the destruction. At this point, the illegal mining of marble, which destroyed much of the inscriptions, took place.
And yet one deserves a walk here.
He will not encounter any impressive archaeological site, but he will face a different image of the antiquity he rarely encounters elsewhere in Greece. The approach can only be done by sea or by hiking. You will have to walk for 60-70 minutes, starting from the village of Kampos and heading northwest following the marked path.
The path is easy and the landscape view has a wild beauty. On the way you will pass by the beach of Letters, where a swimming there is a great reward for the whole effort.
After the site of ancient inscriptions, climbing up the hill to the west, the impressive “Mirror” will take your breath away. The mountain is cut short, forming a vertical cliff 100 meters high from the top to the sea. Looking from the top to the bottom deep and usually foamy waters of the Aegean Sea will overwhelm you fear and awe.
We wish the authorities and the wise men to Lastly protect this living monument!
