Among the public buildings, uncovered at various places
in the town of Kissamos, are 3 or 4 bath complexes (thermae). So far the eastern
baths have been partly excavated.
In Hellenistic times ancient Kissamos was a small town and the harbour of Polyrrhenia. In Roman times the town grew and became more powerful. The new city, whose development began in the 1st century A.D. expanded gradually to the size of the modern town.
The main entrance of the eastern baths probably was in the east, a hall
with big granite columns, fallen in the place. They have been revealed the
three main halls:
The hot bath (caldarium) in the west, according to
Vitruvius architectural orders.
The tepid bath (tepidarium) in the middle.
The cold bath (frigidarium) in the east side.
All halls have marble floors and the walls were
covered by marble slabs at a certain height. The rest of the wall was vaulted
with opening of arc direction E-W.
The
vaults were collapsed from the scary earthquake of the 365 A.D. The hot and
tepid baths had hypocaust system of
heating.
The cold bath is the bigger and more beautiful hall, with basins with
marble floors in the north and south side.
It was decorated with sculptures, of
which they were rescued two marble statues of young satyr and Pan, crashed under
the ruins (exhibited in the museum of Kissamos).
(Information from Ministry of Culture, 25th Ephorate of antiquites, Chania 2008)
Η Ελένη Βασιλάκη είναι δημοσιογράφος. Έχει εργαστεί από το 1995 μέχρι σήμερα σε εφημερίδες και ραδιοφωνικούς σταθμούς του Ηρακλείου συνεργαζόμενη παράλληλα με ΜΜΕ στην Αθήνα. Είναι πτυχιούχος Πολιτικών Επιστημών και Δημόσιας Διοίκησης με master στη Διοίκηση Πολιτισμικών Μονάδων ενώ μιλά Αγγλικά και Ιταλικά. Λατρεύει τα ταξίδια και τις εκδρομές, τις πεζοπορίες στη φύση και τη γνωριμία με τον τόπο της και τους ανθρώπους του.