7.20.10
Before going into the pictures I should give you the same introduction that I received in piecemeal throughout the course of my Crete adventures. 'Sterna' is the Greek word for cistern. Before the municipality supplied groundwater to the city and smaller villages, the community relied on these rainwater catching structures. To give you a timeline, these were still being used about 40 years ago. Thus, the reliance on municipal water is a relatively recent development. During the winter when it rained the most, villagers diverted water into the sterna and saved it for domestic use (including drinking) and farming (crops and animals).
As you look at more and more sternas, it's easy to see that they fall into a few distinct structural classes. According to a man named Nikos Skoutelis, a landscape architect who we met, the first are the oldest and are typically found in monasteries. They were built in the 16th Century by rich Venetian people and constructed very well. The second are round ones built by stones in low areas where water collects. The last kind are smaller, covered cisterns that are either half underground or covered with a dome to keep the water clean; it was used for drinking water that had been collected from the roof.
Looking back over my entire trip, I would estimate that about 30% of the sternas I visited were in use. The remainder were abandoned for various reasons. In most cases they were no longer structurally stable (the sides were falling in or they no longer held water) and other times they were contaminated. I should also mention that a fraction of the sternas had been abandoned because the villagers no longer needed them; the groundwater wells supplied them with enough water.
Sternas near the ancient city of Dreros. The steps going down the left side of the sterna made it possible for villagers to extract water. Dreros was located just outside of Neapoli, the village were I stayed during my trip.
The same sterna as above. A portion of the sterna went underneath the road.
There were several sterna here alongside this large open catchment pool. This was one of the few places on the island of Crete where we saw surface water. This water had been collected during the winter and was still being used by the farmers.
Water is extracted from the pool by an electrically powered pump.
Margaret, James, and Giannis all standing in the water catchment pool. You can see the stone walls along the sides to hold the water within the boundary. Giannis said the water level reaches the tops of these walls in the winter.
Farmers are still pumping water from this sterna; you can see the green hose on the left.
This unused sterna is full of grass.
Because a large majority of the population no longer relies on sterna for water, they tend to fall into disrepair. Many of the once carefully placed stones have fallen into the bottom of this sterna. Judging by the lack of water, there is also a leak. The water may be infiltrating into the ground which is not necessarily a bad thing. The aquifers that currently supply the villagers with water must be recharged somehow.
Greek Grapes (James insisted on trying one, but they were very sour.)
You will always see bamboo growing near areas with water.
Fruit Trees
After leaving the large water catchment pool, we stopped to see this sterna. Here you can see the two pits that are used to trap sediment before it goes into the large sterna (next picture). The rainwater is directed from the road, which used to be dirt, into this first basin. When it slows down the sediment sinks to the bottom and only the clean water spills into the basin to the left. You can see the little rectangular channel between the two basins that acts as a lip. This process repeats for the second basin but this time the water that spills over goes into the sterna.
These troughs were used by the animals. Most sternas will have these.
This restored sterna was lined with grey plastic to keep the water in. Although, it doesn't look like it's being used very much with all the algae growing in it.
Here is a covered sterna. Most of the covered sternas were used for drinking water purposes.
Giannis and Margaret wanted to speak to a farmer (see picture below) about this sterna. He was pumping water from the sterna and filling up the black tank on the back of his truck. He told us that he often gives the water from this sterna to his animals.
Sheep in the Middle of the Road
This covered sterna was used to collect water from the roof of the church. It may or may not have been used for drinking.
The mayor's family used to live in this village. This is one of his grandfather's homes. From talking with Giannis, it seems as if it was very common for each Greek family to have multiple homes. During the harvest season they would build a place to stay while they tended the crops and animals. When they were done, they would go back to the village.
Super Giannis and James
Dried Artichoke (I had no idea they looked like this!)
This farm was also owned by a relative of the mayor. The donkey and cow used to sleep here.
Bread Oven
This farm had it's own sterna.
This sterna was one of my favorites. You can see the little lip in the road that directs the rainwater into the sediment tanks (see picture below).
Sediment Tanks
Canal from the Sediment Tanks to the Sterna
Giannis demonstrated how the villager would use the bucket to draw water from the sterna.
Drinking Troughs for the Animals
Full Sterna
At the last group of sternas, Giannis explained a story he had heard. If villagers were feeling sick to their stomach, they would drink from these sternas and feel better. I'm not sure if this is true but I'd like to think so.
Unfortunately, most of these sternas were not in very bad structural shape.
You can see the remnants of a staircase.
This one seems to be in the best shape.
I'm not sure what this really called but I named it the DNA plant because of it's strong resemblance to the structure of the real deal.
We quickly learned to steer clear of this little spiky plant. James had it a little easier than Margaret and I because he usually got hoisted up on Giannis' shoulders if any of this plant was around.
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