The archaeological site is located in western Crete east of modern-day Chania ( about 13 km) overlooking Souda Bay to the north and wonderful views of the White Mountains to the south.  Aptera was inhabited since the Minoan times and was destroyed in the 365 AD earthquake.  Originally Aptera was a Minoan settlement mentioned in the Age Linear B tablets.  It was re-established during the 7-th century B.C. and eventually flourished in the Classical and especially the Hellenistic Greek times.  Later it became a Roman and Byzantine town.

Souda Bay and Dorian

Roman L-Shaped Cistern

Roman three vaulted cistern

Three vaults are visible