Acropolis of Arkesini

The acropolis of Arkesini occupies a rocky hill above the sea on the northwest side of Amorgos, north of the village of Vroutsi. It served as a defensive position from antiquity until the Venetian period ended in 1537. The site, known as Kastri, covers roughly 35,000 square metres and follows an irregular outline dictated by the terrain. Finds span the Cycladic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and middle-Byzantine eras, with Venetian ruins also present. The ancient walls, based on natural rock, were reused for the medieval fortification, their masonry showing distinct superimposed layers. On the north and east sides the wall survives to about four metres in height, with a thickness of 1.20 to 1.60 metres and some stones reaching 2.70 metres long. The west side, the most accessible and vulnerable, retains only a twenty-metre stretch; the gate there is lost. The central acropolis itself covers 3,000 square metres within a 270-metre enclosure, including a probable donjon at the southeast end. The double-aisled church of Panagia Kastriani, likely thirteenth-century, stands over ancient remains, possibly of a temple of Aphrodite, and incorporates reused material. Rainwater cisterns supplied water, as the rock has no springs.

Heritage data from Wikidata, compiled and verified in the Atika atlas.