STA LENIKA
Greece.
A village on the W
side of the Gulf of Mirabello, N coast of Crete; in a
coastal valley S of Elounda and N of Ag. Nikolaos, just
S of the ridge which formed the ancient frontier between
the territories of Olous and Lato (q.v.).
Near the village lies a double Sanctuary of Ares and
Aphrodite, excavated in 1937-38. The temple consists of
two rooms of equal size, adjoining but not intercommunicating, dedicated to Ares and Aphrodite. They are
built of rough blocks of local limestone; the walls are
plastered, and form a rough square (12 x 12 m). Both
rooms contain a bench-altar at the rear, and on the E
side open on to a common vestibule (described as a
pastas in the inscription found on the site which describes the work on the building). Below the level of the
vestibule the plan and remains of a low altar can be
made out, similar to that at Dreros; this belonged to
an earlier temple of the Geometric period, clearly the
Old Aphrodision mentioned as lying close to the frontier in inscriptions relating to the frontier dispute between Lato and Olous. When the dispute was finally settled Latian possession of the site was confirmed (ca.
113 B.C.); inscriptions found at the site have added
much new information about the dispute. The temple
was built after the settlement, replacing the separate
temples of Aphrodite and Ares.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
J. Bousquet, “Le temple d'Aphrodite
et d'Arès à Sta Lenikà,”
BCH 62 (1938) 386-408; H. van Effenterre, “Querelles crétoises,”
REA 44 (1942) 31-51; id., “Documents édilitaires de Lato,”
REA 45 (1943) 27-39; C. Tiré & H. van Effenterre,
Guide des fouilles françaises en Crète (1966) 89.
D. J. BLACKMAN
