Acropolis of Arkasa
Homer mentions the island with the name Crapathos. According to Diodoros Sikeliotis, the first residents of Karpathos were people from Crete during the Minos era, who dominated over the area.
According to another version, the first residents of the island were Phoenicians and a small port and village today with the name Pheiniki (Finiki).
According to Stravon the island during the antiquity was Tetrapolis (four cities) and it had a famous name given to the homonymous Sea. The cities were Nisyros on the island of Saria, Vrykous on the North East of the island, Potideo right outside todays capital of Pigadia and Arkesia in the area of Arkasa today.
The archaeological association of Greece made excavations in 1923 and discovered the remains of Ancient Arkesia, the church of Agia Anastasia (Agia Sofia today) with mosaics and inscriptions and a grave-yard of the 5th-6th century.
Today a whitewashed path climbs to the top of the Acropolis consists of Paleokastro with visible remnants of the Archaic fortification and towers of classical and Hellenistic periods. Also retained remnants of buildings and tanks in good condition and assumed that this was the citadel of the four famous cities of classical Karpathos of Arkeseias.
