Historical context of « NIRIKOS » : Ancient Lefkada, in Greece: The name Lefkada has derived from the word Lefkas Petra (white stone), which happens to be a prehistoric name of today’s Leukada, located in the southern part of the island. The southern cape, which is conspicuous by its white rocky promontories is where the poet Sappho gave away her life for the sake of love, which in turn provides the name to the city.
The city of Lefkada was brought into existence by the Corinthians and with the passage of time, the entire island was referred to in the same name. Renowned geographer Stravonas is of the opinion that the prehistoric city of Nirikos was renamed as Lefkada and was made to function as the capital of the island by the Corinthians.
Human habitation in Lefkada goes back to the Paleolithic era. The renowned German archaeologist Wilhelm Dairepfeld in association with Henry Schliemann who took part in the Troy excavations carried out a wide-ranging archaeological investigation at Nydri, which offered fascinating insight on the ancient city of Lefkada courtesy remnants from the Copper Age dating back to 2000 BC.
The prehistoric city of Nirikos, which dates back to the 7th century BC was discovered by archaeologists in Kalligoni and historians are unanimous in their opinion that it was the island’s original capital. A massive wall encircled it. Today though, only a part of the wall is left and the major portion of the wall has been lost to the wrath of nature.
Our camping is situated close to the ancient capital of the island: “NIRIKOS”
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