Eretria

Important city of the Ancient Greece, Eretria has a rich past beginning in the Bronze Age. It was one of the first to explore in the 8^th century BC the eastern and western shores of the Mediterranean where it founded colonies and trade posts. As a bridge between East and West, its contribution was essential to the spread of the Semitic alphabet and of the Oriental religions in the Occident.

A colonial and commercial power, Eretria took part to the many struggles that were shaking Greece: looted by the Persians in 490 BC, it enjoyed a flourishing period during the 4^th and 3^rd centuries BC where numerous rich houses were build.

Taken by the Romans in 198 BC, Eretria’s influence decreased slowly until late in the 6^th century AD when all traces of human activities on the site disappeared.

Occasionally visited by travellers and antiquarians during medieval times, the city was restored in the 19^th century to provide a new homeland for the Greek refugees that were expelled from the island of Psara by the Ottomans. The exploration of Eretria’s rich heritage started more than a century ago and is still ongoing, mainly thanks to Greek and Swiss archaeologists.