The Ancient City of Kameiros

Kameiros is an ancient city, situated on the northwest coast of Rhodes, 3 km west of the village of Kalavarda. The city of Kameiros was built on three levels: At the top of the hill was the Acropolis, with the temple complex of Athena Kameiras and the Stoa. A covered reservoir having a capacity of 600 cubic meters of water—enough for up to 400 families—was constructed about the 6th century BC. Later, the Stoa was built over the reservoir and consisted of two rows of Doric columns, with rooms for shops or lodgings in the rear.

The main settlement was on the middle terrace, consisting of a grid of parallel streets and residential blocks. On the lower terrace are found a Doric temple, probably dedicated to Apollo, the Fountain House, with the Agora in front of it, and the Perivolos of the Altars, which contained dedications to various deities.

During the prehistoric period, the area was inhabited by the Mycenaean Greeks. The city itself was founded by the Dorians. The temple foundations were probably constructed in the 8th century BC. An earthquake in 226 BC devastated Kameiros and its temple, and a second one in 142 BC wrecked the city once again. The Acropolis was excavated by Alfred Biliotti and Auguste Salzmann, between 1852 and 1864. In 1928 the Italian Archaeological School began a systematic excavation of the area, together with restoration work, which continued until the end of the Second World War.