According to historians, the village of Géraka is ancient and was inhabited around the 6th to 5th century BC. However, later it was abandoned and was not occupied for many centuries.
Visit the church of Agía Paraskeví and the church of Koímisis Theotókou (the Dormition of the Mother of God, i.e. the death of Virgin Mary and her resurrection), inside Gérakas village (which lies 3 km inland from Gérakas harbour).
On top of the hill situated to the north of Gérakas harbour, lie the remains of the ancient city Zárax. The city was founded in 1300 BC by the Lákones (the citizens of Lakonía, which later became Spárti) who used it as a fortress – its walls still remain in good condition.
In the 3rd century BC, the city of Zárax was destroyed twice by the Spartans themselves, during some internal conflicts. Thus, the citizens of Zárax, together with 17 other cities in Lakonía, decided to break away from Spárti. And a fine thing they did, as Zárax became richer and richer, reaching its peak during the Roman times.
It became a very wealthy city and never used its riches to conduct expansive wars. Instead, they chose isolation and quietness and by doing that, they managed to live independently and free up until the medieval times.
