Lissus (Crete)

Lissus was an ancient harbour town on the southern coast of Crete, near the modern village of Sougia, that flourished from the Classical period into Late Antiquity. It served as one of the ports of the nearby city of Elyrus and built its prosperity on trading and fishing fleets, distinctive enough that it minted its own coins, unlike most other towns on that stretch of coast. Lissus later served as a Byzantine episcopal see and today lies uninhabited, reachable only by boat or by hiking the Lissos Gorge from Sougia.