SOULIA
or Soulena (Agia Galini), Crete.
A small ancient city on S coast of Crete in the Agios
Vasileios district. Mentioned only by a coastal pilot
(Stad. 324-25: a harbor with good water), it was the
harbor of inland Sybrita; no coins of it are known. Its
main deity was Artemis.
Remains, including an aqueduct, were noted by Buondelmonti at “Suveta” (1415); Halbherr confirmed the
site's identification, first suggested by Pashley. When the
site was reoccupied and rebuilt after 1884, remains were
found of the sanctuary of Artemis (and many votive
inscriptions to her), but no clear ground plan was recovered. All remains found were of Roman Imperial
date, but the sanctuary could be of earlier origin. Halbherr also noted traces, not now visible, of poor buildings,
perhaps ancient houses, around the sanctuary, which lies
in a small coastal valley at the mouth of a stream, and
tombs have been found above to the NE and E, but
no traces of other public buildings. Near the shore are
remains of a Roman concrete wall, probably a quay or
seawall. The main settlement, or part of it, may have
lain on a hill ca. 1 km NE of Agia Galini, on the W
side of the mouth of the Platis (ancient Elektra), where
sherds have been found on the top and E slope of the hill.
Remains of an ancient wreck have been found in shallow water by Cape Kakoskalo, E of Agia Galini and
near Kokkinos Pirgos; the finds were mainly bronze
objects, including statuettes and statue fragments, with
a coin hoard probably dating from the reign of Probus
(276-282). The collection was either the stock in trade
of an itinerant smith or a pirate's haul.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
R. Pashley,
Travels in Crete II (1837;
repr. 1970) 303-4; F. Halbherr,
AJA 11 (1896) 593-94; G. de Sanctis,
MonAnt 11 (1901) 535-39; Honigmann, “Sulia,”
RE IV A1 (1931) 727; M. Guarducci,
ICr II (1939) 278-88; E. Kirsten in F. Matz (ed.),
Forschungen auf Kreta (1951) 136-37; S. Hood & P.
Warren,
BSA 61 (1966) 167-69
MI.
D. J. BLACKMAN
