Hill and Ancient Settlement of Agios Minas

Agios Minas Hill lies at the eastern edge of the newer settlement, between the Tenediontis and Paradeisi streams. At its top stands the chapel of Agios Minas, on the site of an earlier church, and the hill itself is a special landmark in the history of Agios Efstratios. Here lie the grave of a German officer of the Occupation and the cenotaph of the political exiles, while on the northern foothills survive remains of their accommodation facilities. The site’s significance, however, stretches much further back in time, as an ancient settlement once stood here. Surface surveys revealed wall segments and numerous sherds, from the Early Mycenaean to the Byzantine period. Of particular interest are imported ceramics of the Archaic and Hellenistic eras, such as transport amphorae from Kos and Rhodes, which demonstrate the island’s active participation in Aegean trade networks.