Daskalopetra

Homers Rock

Daskalopetra (Homer’s rock) on the north coast of Vrondados is one of the island’s best known monuments. Tradition closely links it with Homer and it is regarded as the School of this illustrious poet. The testimonies of several ancient writers lend credence to this view. The rock at Daskalopetra was always a feature of interest, not to be missed by visitors to the island. Some regarded it as Homer’s school, while others consider it to be the altar of some pagan god. Richard Chandler (1764) was the first to call the place a sanctuary of goddess Cybele.
Cybele, the Great Mother, was worshiped on to ancient Chios and there was a temple to her, probably in the Vrondados region where numerous relieves and statues have been found, as well as a votive inscription. In Archaic times the goddess is portrayed seated within a small temple, therefore it is assumed that the temple was built at the late 6th century BC. Today it is badly destroyed, the upper part is missing entirely and its surface is extensively eroded.