- Amnissos (B8). 7.5 km. east of Iraklio, the Minoan port of
Knossos. It was here that archaeologists found the Villa of the
Frescoes of Amnissos, also called the Villa of the Lilies.
- Archanes (Arhanes) (C7). 15 km. south of Iraklio. Excavations in
the village brought to light a well-preserved building that must
have been a summer palace.
- On the hill of Fourni (1 km. NW of Archanes) there are vaulted
tombs dated to between 2500-1250 B.C.
- At Anemospilia Archanes, in the foothills of the Holy Mountain
of Yiouchta was discovered a Minoan sanctuary sacred not only to
Archanes but to Knossos as well.
- Gortyn (Gortis) (D7). 46 km. south of Iraklio. A city that
flourished particularly during the Roman era, Gortyn was the
capital of the Roman province of Crete and Cyrenaica. It had its
origins in the Minoan era, as testified by the ruins of a 16th
c. B.C. farmhouse, which has been excavated. The most
distinctive monuments are the Praetorium (2nd c. A.D.),
residence of the Roman governor of the province: and the
Nymphaion (2nd c. A.D.) where the Nymphs were worshipped; the
temple of Pythian Apollo; the sanctuary of the Egyptian
divinities; and the Odeon, where the famous inscription with the
laws of Gortyn was found. Plato spoke of these laws, which were
written in a Doric dialect and date from the 6th century B.C.,
with admiration.
- Knossos (B8), 5 km. east of Iraklio. Inhabited since the
Neolithic era. The first palace of Knossos was built around 1900
B.C. Two hundred years later It was destroyed by an earthquake
and rebuilt, becoming grander and more luxurious. The final
catastrophe occurred about 1500-1450 B.C., according to one
theory, with the eruption of the volcano in Santorini. Despite
this blow. people continued to live there for another fifty
years until a fire swept through the city circa 1400 B.C. The
Minoan palaces were not only the residence of the ruling house,
they were also administrative and religious centres for the
whole region. The ruins of the capital of the Minoan Kingdom
include the palace of Minos, the homes of the officials and
priests who surrounded him (Little Palace, Caravanserai, House
of the Frescoes, etc.), the homes of ordinary people and the
cemetery. The palace was a labyrinthine complex built around a
central court. This multistoreyed construction covered an area
of 22.000 sq.m. and, in addition to the royal quarters, also
contained places of worship, treasuries, workshops and
storerooms.
- Malia (C9), 34 km. east of Iraklio and 3 km. beyond the summer
resort of the same name. Excavations have brought to light a
palace similar to the ones at Knossos and Phaistos (also built
around 1900 B.C. and abandoned about 1450 B.C.). At Hrissolakos
(Pit of Gold), archaeologists also unearthed the districts
surrounding the Minoan palace and cemetery. The palace covered
an area of about 9.000 sq.m. Many of the objects now on display
in Iraklion's Archaeological Museum were found at Malia.
- Phaistos (Festos) (D6), 63 km. southwest of Iraklio and about 78
km. southeast of Rethimno, was the second most important
palace-city of Minoan Crete. The residence of the mythical
Radamanthes, the palace was also the nucleus of a settlement
inhabited since the Neolithic age. The architectural layout is
identical to that of Knossos. Here too the rooms are arranged
around a court. On the other hand, in contrast to Knossos, the
frescoes decorating the walls were relatively scanty, the
unpainted floors and walls being covered with a lining of pure
white gypsum. The area of this palace was 9.000 sq. m.
- At Agia Trias (D6), 2.5-3 km. west of Phaistos. were found the
ruins of a royal villa, which most probably was the summer
palace of the Phaistos rulers. Certain of the more important
pieces on exhibit in the Iraklio Archaeological Museum--the
larnax, the Harvester Vase, and the impeccably painted
frescoes--come from this site.
- Tilissos (B7), 14 km. southwest of Iraklio lie the ruins of one
of the oldest Minoan cities of central Crete, including three
large buildings, residences of the local lords.
- Vathipetro (C7) 19 km. south of Iraklio is where the ruins of a
large Minoan mansion, a country estate belonging to a local
nobleman, were discovered. The ruins include a wine press, olive
press, weaving rooms and a possible potter's kiln.
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