Lappa, Crete

Lappa was a powerful ancient city-state in Crete, located beneath modern Argyroupoli, 27 km south of Rethymno. According to Mycenaean tradition, the city was founded by Agamemnon. After sheltering refugees from destroyed Lyttos, Lappa was itself devastated during the Roman conquest by Quintus Caecilius Metellus in 68 AD, but was restored and granted special privileges by Augustus for supporting Octavian against Antony. Archaeological excavations since the 1980s have revealed Roman baths, basilicas with mosaics, inscriptions, and statues of Zeus, Aphrodite, and Dionysus. The city once had its own mint and controlled ports on both coasts of Crete.