Monemvasia was first inhabited 8,000 years ago and is the only Early Helladic settlement on the east coast of the province of Epidaurus Limira. Monemvasia, then Akra Minoa, was the intermediate station between the land areas of Greece and the already prosperous Cyclades-Crete diphtheria. During the Mycenaean or Late Helladic era, Monemvasia continues to be a key point and develops into a pelagic path between the Mycenaean and Minoan civilization.