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View of Sougia Beach in Sougia

The city flourished chiefly in the Roman period. A considerable number of ruins have survived but there have been few excavations. Sougia is famous for its 6th c. Early Byzantine basilica, excavated by A. Orlandos, after a dream seen by a woman from the nearby village of Livadas. The basilica has three aisles and annexes on the north. The floor was decorated with mosaics depicting geometric motifs and subjects from the natural world, like birds, fish, trees, etc. There are two more basilicas west of the village. Parts of the cemetery with built tholos tombs are also visible. The cities of Yrtakina, Elyros, Lissos and Tarrha formed a currency union. The four of them and the cities of Syfa, Poikilasos, Kandanos, Aradin, Anopolis and Phoinix in the later Classical period constituted a local federation of autonomous communities, the "League of Mountain States", with the Diktynnaion Sanctuary of Lissos as its centre. This collaboration shows how effectively a religious league could function as a political rallying point. The modern town has a large pebbly beach that never gets crowded.