Lappa

Rescue excavations are being conducted in recent years by the 25th Ephorate of Classical and Prehistoric Antiquities in the modern village Argiroupoli. Parts of the ancient city Lappa have been discovered, which date from the Geometric Times to the Roman Times.

However, most of the finds date back to the Hellenistic and early Roman times, attesting the prosperity of the area in those years. It is also known from literary texts that Lappa was one of the most important cities of western Crete that flourished in the Roman times. It was destroyed by Metellus in 68 B.C. but after 31 B.C. a new, more glamorous city was built, which had spas and its own currency.

In recent years, an extensive Roman cemetery has been discovered at the position «Pente Parthenes». The abundant finds of the excavations and those that had been collected before the systematic excavations began, including two marble statues and a bronze statuette, are now exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Rethymnon.