The hill above Poli holds two stories: the ancient acropolis of Kasos and, centuries later, a medieval castle that protected the residents from pirates.
Above the village of Poli, the old capital of the island, are the ruins of a medieval castle — Paliokastro. It was built on an elevation to protect the inhabitants from pirate raids and is a characteristic example of the fortification tradition of the Dodecanese.
The ancient acropolis
The same hill, naturally fortified, hosted the acropolis of Kasos since ancient times. Poli is mentioned in ancient literature —including by the geographer Strabo— with a name shared with the island itself, which indicates the central role of the location in the ancient life of Kasos.
Archaeological investigations on the hill have identified ceramic finds covering an impressively long period, from the Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages to the Early Christian era — evidence of almost continuous habitation for thousands of years. Inscribed Hellenistic disc-shaped stone slabs also come from the acropolis, which are currently on display in the Archaeological Collection of Kasos in Fry, along with other architectural members from the same location.
Sources
The information on this page is based on the following sources:
- Municipality of Heroic Island of Kasos: «"The Story of Kasos"»
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki: «"Kassos: monumental topography and ceramic finds from the Geometric to the Hellenistic periods"»
- Municipality of Heroic Island of Kasos: «"Sights of Kasos"»