Continuing 7km east from Moni Arkadiou takes you to the archaeological site of Ancient Eleftherna. This Dorian-built settlement was among the most important in the 8th and 7th centuries BC and also experienced heydays in Hellenistic and Roman times. Excavations have been ongoing since 1985 and archaeologists continue to make new finds all the time. The 2010 discovery of the gold-adorned remains of a woman in a 2700-year-old double tomb made international news.
The excavation of the tomb of a high priestess and three acolytes a year earlier even prompted the Archaeological Institute of America to include Eleftherna in its Top 10 Discoveries of 2009.
Alas, most of the site is fenced off for now and none too visitor-friendly. The most easily accessible section is the Acropolis and the remains of a tower atop a long narrow ridge behind the Akropolis taverna. From here, an uneven, overgrown path leads down to vast Roman cisterns carved into the hills and, further along, to a Hellenistic bridge .
Down in the valleys flanking the ridge, active digs include the huge 2800-year-old necropolis of Orthi Petr a to the west, where findings have produced evidence of human sacrifice. For a closer look, follow the dirt road down a steep hill from the village of Eleftherna.
On the eastern slope, the remains of residential and public buildings from the Roman and Byzantine periods are being dug up. You can peek through the fence by following the main road east towards Margarites, turning off at the sign to the Church of the Sotiros and catching the dirt road just past this lovely Byzantine chapel.
