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Modern Description: From Kambos it is a one hour walk down to what is one of the most evocative curiosities in the Cyclades – the site of *Grámmata (literally meaning ‘letters'), a remote spit of rock whose surface was covered, both in Antiquity and later, by generations of sailors' graffiti and divine invocations. The site is described interestingly in his account of the Cyclades by James Theodore Bent who visited the spot in the autumn of 1882. (The path is clear at first down to the shore, but subsequently becomes hard to trace as it follows the shoreline, about 10-15m above the water level, round two headlands, as far as the last, westernmost bay which has a small sandy beach. On the promontory of rock which closes the bay to the west side, three smooth, natural ‘ramps' are visible. The inscriptions cover these flat surfaces. The site can also be reached in summer by excursion boat from Kini.) The inscriptions are very many: some modern, some 19th century; but the majority are ancient, written in simple and sensuously rounded lettering. Some are interjections of salvation from sailors who have sought refuge; some are offerings of thanks; some are one-word votives; while others record details of departures or journeys. A number of the later Hellenistic inscriptions are meticulously enclosed by a rectangular frame with two lateral ‘wings'. Some have rudimentary drawings of boats, Poseidon's trident, even what appears to be a seven-branch candle-stick. The headland was a crucial landfall for mariners coming from the mainland and its unusually sheltered bay must have been a welcome refuge from an Aegean storm. A small shrine to Asklepios, who is cited in several invocations, may have marked the promontory. Asklepios is sometimes said to have accompanied the Argonauts and was consequently seen as a protector of mariners – among his many other attributes of assistance to mankind. The inscriptions may relate to his cult. The site is curiously compelling; and few other places can offer such unusual antiquities in addition to the possibility of a tranquil bathe at the end of an arduous walk.

Info: McGilchrist's Greek Islands

(From McGilchrist’s Greek Islands, © Nigel McGilchrist 2010, excerpted with his gracious permission. Click for the books)

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