Kythera Island
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Kythera Island, or simply Kythera, is an arid Greek island located off the southernmost tip of the Peloponnese. Its main settlement was Kythera Town, located in the central region of Pilgrim Hill.
History[edit | edit source]
Mythology[edit | edit source]
According to the legends, Kythera was where the goddess Aphrodite first stepped on land, and the city of Kythera was the first to welcome her.[1][2][3][4]
5th century BCE[edit | edit source]
During the 5th century BCE, the island kingdom was renowned for two principal things: its temple dedicated to Aphrodite, and the local trade of Tyrian purple, a dye made from the murex shellfish. The former attracted pilgrims from all across Greece while the latter was highly respected due to the immense labor required to produce it from the hundreds of thousands of shellfish caught. Because of this, Tyrian purple was highly coveted and its export was enormously profitable for Kythera, which came to be known as the "Home of the Tyrian Purple".[5][6][3]
During the Peloponnesian War, Kythera was coveted by the Athenians, and they occupied it for most of the conflict, taking advantage of its proximity to Lakonia to raid the Spartans' home.[2]
Renaissance[edit | edit source]
During his latter years, Leonardo da Vinci, with the aid of Thomas More, selected this location as a haven, a secretive location conducive to the construction of an Assassin refugesmeant to train and initiate apprentices. Within a month of his death on 2 May 1519,[7] the Assassins managed to decipher the clues he left behind and uncovered the site.[8]
Culture[edit | edit source]
Both the mythical as well as the commercial facts related to Kythera were abundantly clear on the island's emblem during the Peloponnesian War: a stylized white dove, the sacred bird of the goddess Aphrodite, standing on a field of Tyrian purple.[6][2]
People[edit | edit source]
The people of the island, especially sailors and fishermen, were avid worshipers of Aphrodite and often prayed to her to watch over them in the surrounding waters, known for being tricky to navigate.[9]
Geography[edit | edit source]
Kythera Island had a dry climate, but the island was still littered with flowers, as they grew in abundance near water sources, and were spread all around in celebration of Aphrodite.[6]
Unified in its dedication of Aphrodite, Kythera Island was separated into three regions, with Aphrodite's Watch keeping an eye on the pass that separated the island from the Peloponnese, the Pilgrim Hill consisting of the site of the pilgrimage and the road that led up to the Temple of Aphrodite, and the Skandeia Bay housing both Skandeia Harbor and the island's treasury. In addition, the Chytra Atoll was also considered part of Kythera.[6]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
In both Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and Ubisoft's own site, the island is given the epithet "Home of Tyrian Purple", referencing the rare and expensive dye.[3]
Historically, Kythera's association with Aphrodite exists due to the transmission of the cult of Astarte that began on the island during the Early Archaic Age, when Kythera was originally colonized by the Phoenicians.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Kythera Island -
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Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: The Last Quest of Leonardo da Vinci
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Kythera: Shrine of Aphrodite
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece – Kythera: "Kytheran Banner"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Worlds: Arid Islands, Kythera Island. Ubisoft. Accessed 18 June 2018.
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: The Last Quest of Leonardo da Vinci – Card 018
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Kythera: "Kythera Town"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: The Last Quest of Leonardo da Vinci – Letter from Leonardo
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: The Last Quest of Leonardo da Vinci
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Kythera: Altar of Aphrodite
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