As we arrived and parked, we were amazed and pleased to see that again, like so many sites in the Dodecanese, we were virtually the only people here. No tour buses and no crowds, just the breezes whispering through the pines that clad the hillsides around this ancient township.

Amazingly, the remains were only discovered in 1859, when locals uncovered some graves. A programme of excavation was implemented by the French archaeologist Saltzmann and many of the early finds were spirited away to Paris. More recent finds are now, however, housed in Rhodes’ Archaeological Museum.

Along with Lindos and Ialyssos, Kameiros was one of the three Dorian powers that joined forces in the 5th century BC to form the city-state of Rhodes, although a settlement had existed here since 2,000 BC. After the new city-state was formed, Kameiros started to lose its grip on power and was flattened by an earthquake in 226 BC. It was rebuilt but a devastating earthquake in 142 AD finally led to it being abandoned for good. The vast deposits of dust and rock from the quake covered the town and as such, the surviving foundations were never looted for building stone, resulting in their well-preserved condition today.

The site lies within a sheltered hillside and was principally inhabited by farmers and craftsmen and, unlike other towns which built high walls and defensive battlements, Kameiros had no fortifications of any type or an acropolis, due to the gentle topography of its location.

Walking around this peaceful old settlement, it was easy to find the central agora, or market-square from which the town radiated. There are Doric and Ionic temples, bath houses, stone staircases, store rooms, and private dwellings. Further down the hillside, a majestic stairwell leads to where the remains of the old main temple are to be found, along with the foundations of a sacred precinct and a 3rd century stoa, a colonnaded avenue. The stoa comprised two rows of Doric columns that ran for 200m along the ridge above the town. The site also features a sophisticated drainage system and a huge cistern, further up the hillside that supplied the town with fresh water.

There are plenty of information boards telling you what you are looking at--a refreshing change from Kos and Crete where it is left to your imagination.

Being around 5pm, we had missed the tour coaches, so take note; go in early morning or late afternoon for peace and quiet.

There has been no attempt at interpreting what the place must’ve looked like; no artificial construction, no modern concrete, and no scaffolding and workmens’ ladders. What you see is what they found.

The site closes on Mondays, opening times are: summer (April-October) 8am-7pm, winter (November-March) 8:30am-2:30pm, entrance charge of 3 euros.