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Lato 93 pictures 3.30 minutes HQ video Lato is located 11 km north-east to Krista. The town was built probably in 7^th century B.C. The Site It was named after Leto (Doric Lato), mother of Apollo and Artemis. The Dorians built the city, which was one of the strongest and most powerful cities in Crete. The town is located between two hills, with a wonderful view of the Mirambello Bay. The archaic remains consist of three potters' kilns found near the temple and dated from 750 to 625 B.C. The 4^th-2^nd centuries B.C. are the main period of occupation at Lato. This is the period from which the surviving buildings are dated. There are scanty Roman remains at Lato. These include several 4^th century A.D. bronze coins found on the temple terrace and a small Roman house found nearby. Lato was the birth place of Nearchos, the admiral of Alexander the Great. The Agora An open space between the temple and the steps. In the agora there are a deep square cistern and a Doric stoa on three of its sides. The remains are probably from the 6^th-7^th centuries B.C. The Prytaneion A monumental complex, the buildings of which are dating from the late 4^th-3^rd century B.C. It was divided into two large rooms, a dining area and a peristyle court to the east. It was probably used for public activities. Exedra The Temple of Eileithyia This temple is connected to the agora by a road. The temple (measuring 10x7 meters) is non-peripteral with a cella and anteroom. In front of the temple there is a small rectangular altar. The main goddess worshipped in the city was Eileithyia. According to Homer, Eileithyia was the goddess of birth-pain. In the story Eileithyia came from the Hyperboreans (from the legendary north) to Delos to help Leto, when she was giving birth to Artemis and Apollo. "Theatrical Area" Back to Crete Index