Eleutherna, also called Apollonia , was an ancient city-state in Crete, Greece, which lies 25 km southeast of Rethymno in Rethymno regional unit. Archaeologists excavated the site, located on a narrow northern spur of Mount Ida, the highest mountain in Crete.
Ancient Eleutherna, the birthplace of the poet Linos, of the philosopher Diogenes, of the tragic poet Ametor, and of the sculptor Timochares, is located on the northwest foot of Mount Ida, approximately thirty kilometres south of Rethymnon, at 380 metres above sea level. The city was allegedly named after Eleuthereas, one of the Kouretes, or after Demeter Eleuthous. The city’s excavated remains belong to various periods. A thriving Hellenistic settlement has been identified on the Nisi hill, which was one of the city’s nuclei, together with the Pyrgi hill.
