KNOSSOS

Knossos was undeniably the capital of Minoan Crete. It is grander, more complex, and more flamboyant than any of the other palaces known to us, and it is located about twenty minutes south of the modern port town of Iraklio.

Knossos was inhabited for several thousand years, beginning with a neolithic settlement sometime in the seventh millennium BC, and was abandoned after its destruction in 1375 BC which marked the end of Minoan civilization. The first palace on the low hill beside the Krairatos river was built around 1900 BC on the ruins of previous settlements. It was destroyed for the first time along with the other Protopalatial palaces around Crete at 1700 BC, probably by a large earthquake or foreign invaders. It was immediately rebuilt to an even more elaborate complex and until its abandonment was damaged several times during earthquakes, invasions, and in 1450 BC by the colossal volcanic eruption of Thera, and the invasion of Mycenaeans who used it as their capital as they ruled the island of Crete until 1375 BC.

Arthur Evans, the British Archaeologist who excavated the site in 1900 AD restored large parts of the palace in a way that it is possible today to appreciate the grandeur and complexity of a structure that evolved over several millennia and grew to occupy about 20,000 square meters. Walking through its complex multi-storied buildings one can comprehend why the palace of Knossos was associated with the mythological labyrinth.

According to Greek mythology, the palace was designed by famed architect Dedalos with such complexity that no one placed in it could ever find its exit. King Minos who commissioned the palace then kept the architect prisoner to ensure that he would not reveal the palace plan to anyone. Dedalos, who was a great inventor, built two sets of wings so he and his son Ikaros could fly off the island, and so they did. On their way out, Dedalos warned his son not to fly too close to the sun because the wax that held the wings together would melt. In a tragic turn of events, during their escape Ikaros, young and impulsive as he was, flew higher and higher until the sun rays dismantled his wings and the young boy fell to his death in the Aegean sea. The Labyrinth was the dwelling of the Minotaur in Greek mythology, and many associate the palace of Knossos with the legend of Theseus killing the Minotaur. 

The Greek myth associated with the palace about  is fascinating, but walking around the ruins of Knossos today it is hard to imagine it to be a place of torment and death. Instead, the palace radiates with joyous exuberance through the elaborate architectural planes and volumes that were clustered around the central courtyard over time. The elegant wall frescoes which decorated the walls speak of a people who approached the subtleties of life and the splendor of nature with a joyous disposition.

For the visitor today, the area around the ramp which leads to the main palace, immediately exposes the rich strata of ruins that span millennia. To the left of the entrance ramp three large koloures in the shape of large round pits reveal in their deep bottom the remains of Prepalatial building ruins  The palace of Knossos was the center of administration of the entire island during Minoan times, and its position as such allowed for unprecedented growth and prosperity as witnessed by the plethora of storage magazines, workshops, and wall paintings. The Throne room with its gypsum throne and benches to accommodate sixteen persons, the central courtyard, and the theater, along with the royal chambers paint a portrait of Knossos as a forum of elaborate rituals and extraordinary historical occurrences.

The restorations performed by Evans have been criticized as inaccurate, and there is a feeling that many of the details were reconstituted (to use Evans' term) utilizing at best "educated guesses". For the visitor however, the restorations render the incomprehensible strata of ruins along with their past grandeur a bit more obvious, and bring the majesty of Minoan life at the palace a little closer.

Article source: http://www.ancient-greece.org/archaeology/knossos.html

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THE PEOPLE OF CRETE

There is a very good description of the people of Crete by the Frankish Bishop of Athens, L.Petit:

They are a truly admirable people who learnt to hold on stubbornly throughout the tumultuous events of forty centuries to their native character and local speech. Courage, mingled with an independent spirit that is often close to downright disobedience, a lively wit, vivid imagination, and a language full of images, spontaneous and unaffected, love for every kind of adventure, an indefatigable urge for freedom, that goes hand in hand with an insatiable desire for bravado... A fertile land that has always given birth to the worthiest of men both in Church and State, in science and letters, in the economy and in war...

Article source: http://www.explorecrete.com/crete.html

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ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES AND MUSEUMS IN CRETE

Chania		Entrance
Aptera	One of the most important cities of ancient (7th c. B.C.) western Crete. Aptera was built on a site 15 km. from Chania, south of Souda bay, near the village of Megala Horafia, which had a view of the whole plain of Chania. The city walls still standing today are reminiscent of the Cyclopean walls of Tiryns and Mycenae. One can also see the remains of a small 1st c. B.C. temple of Demeter, a Roman theatre and the enormous vaulted cisterns of the Roman period – according to one source they were used for grain storage – preserved in excellent condition.	Free
Falassarna	This town, the port of Polyrrhenia, lay to the west of it, in the base of the extreme northwest peninsula of the district of Chania. The ruins-remains of Cyclopean walls, tombs, house foundations, sculptures carved out of the rocks, most notably a throne – are found near the village of Koutri.	Free
Firkas Fortress	Fort Firkas is by the Venetian port of Chania. Firkas (military unit) was built in 1629 and is considered a significant historic monument for Crete. In February 16th 1897, the flag of the Great Powers was raised here, pronouncing Crete's autonomy. At the same place, 16 years later, on December 1st 1913, Eleftherios Venizelos witnessed the island's union with the rest of Greece. Today, the fort houses the city's Naval Museum and a small, summer theatre.	Free
Frangocastello Fortress	In order to protect the small bay near by, from the pirates, it was decided, in 1371, to construct this fortress. It was barely used during the Venetian occupation, and on the eve of the Turkish attack, it was actually abandoned. In 1828 the Cretan rebels occupied the fortress and during the siege that followed, its towers were destroyed.	Free
Kissamos Archaeological Museum	After 25 years, Kissamos in western Crete has finally found a place to house its archaeological treasures. The exhibits provide a view of local history through the ages, from prehistoric times to late antiquity and the Early Christian period.	Ticket
Lissos	The site was the religious centre of the cities in south-west Crete. It flourished during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The most important monuments of the site are: The Temple of Asklepios, dated to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Part of a Roman theatre. Rock-cut and built chamber tombs.	Free
Polirinnia	The ruined walls and acropolis of Polyrrhenia lie 49 km west of Chania, near Selti or Paleokastro. At Kria Vrissi, near Kissamos (Kastelli) , are the remains of a Roman aqueduct. Polyrinnia, an important ancient western Cretan city, was founded with the help of the Achaeans, who succeeded the Minoans as overlords of the island.	Free
Rethimno
Apodoulou	Three building complexes of the Old Palace period (1950-1700 B.C.), while tholos tombs of the Postpalatial period (1380-1200 B.C.) have also been located in the adjacent area	Free
Armeni	A Minoan cemetery with tombs carved out of rocks has been unearthed.	Free
Eleftherna	Recent excavations held at the area brought to light important monuments from a Greek-Roman city	Free
The Fortezza fortress of Rethymnon	This fortress was built from 1573 till 1580 by the Venetians, for the protection of the inhabitants by the Turkish threat. It is starshaped with three gates and six bastions.	Free
Heraklion
Aghia Trias	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 Heraklion Archaeological Museum – the larnax, the Harvester Vase, and the impeccably painted frescoes – come from the site	Ticket
Fourni at Arhanes	Excavations at Fourni have brought to light 26 buildings, most of which had funerary use. The cemetery was used from 2400 B.C. until 1200 B.C. and each complex had more than one architectural phase	Free
Gortys (Gortyn)	46 km. south of Heraklion. A city that flourished particularly during the Roman era, Gortys 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. AD.), residence of the Roman governor of the province, and the Nymphaion (2nd c. AD.), 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 Gortys was found. Plato spoke of these laws, which were written in a Doric dialect and date from the 6th century B.C., with admiration.	Ticket
Knossos	5 km. east of Heraklion. 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 1500-1400 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 centers 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 multistoried construction covered an area of 22.000 sq.m. and, in addition to the royal quarters, also contained p1aces of worship, treasuries, workshops and storerooms.	Ticket 6 €
Komos	The Minoan port of Phaistos	Closed to the public
Koules Venetian Fortress Open: 08:30-15:00 closed on Mondays	The symbol of Heraklion. The original name of the fortress was «Roca al mare»; it was built by the Venetians, before the construction of the new walls. It was destroyed by the great earthquake of 1303 and took its final shape between 1523 and 1540.	Ticket
Levina (Lentas)	Excavations brought to light a sanctuary of Asclepios and Minoan vaulted tombs	Ticket
Malia	34 km. east of Heraklion 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 Heraklion’s Archaeological Museum were found at Malia	Ticket
Phaistos (Festos)	63 km. southwest of Heraklion 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 setllement 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	Ticket
Tilissos	14 km. southwest of Heraklion lie the ruins of one of the oldest Minoan cities of central Crete, including three large buildings, residences of the local lords	Ticket
Vathipetro	19 km. south of Heraklion is where the ruins of a large Minoan mansion, a country estate belonging to a local nobleman, were discovered. The ruins include a winepress, olive press, weaving rooms and a possible potter’s kiln	Free
Lassithi
Dreros (Driros)	16 km. northwest of Aghios Nikolaos. The archaeological site of this ancient Greek city comprises two acropolises with an Archaic agora between them. South of the agora is a temple from the Geometric period, the Delphinion, dedicated to Apollo, as well as a large cistern dug between the late 3rd and early 2nd century B.C.	Free
Gournia	19 km. southeast of Aghios Nikolaos, 15 km. north of Ierapetra, the best preserved of the Minoan settlements, and one of the most noteworthy archaeological sites in Crete. It appears to date from 1550-1450 B.C. The ruins of the town include small houses and a small palace on top of a hill; even the narrow streets and connecting stairways have survived amidst the foundations of he houses	Ticket
Kato Zakros	117 km. southeast of Aghios Nikolaos is the site of a luxurious Minoan palace, the fourth in significance on the island, which produced a number of important finds, now in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. This palace, which covered 7.000 to 8.000 sq.m. and contained royal apartments, storerooms and various work-shops, and the nearby city were destroyed around 1450 B.C. by a violent earthquake, most probably the one that caused a whole section of the island of Santorini to sink into the sea. Zakros was a major Minoan naval base, which established trading connections with Egypt and Anatolia. It was from here that Minoan farming estates, two sacred peaks, a cemetery and cave tombs have been discovered	Ticket
Lato	15 km. west of Aghios Nikolaos, is spread out on the slopes of two acropolises. Founded in the 7th century B.C., it was one of the most powerful cities in Crete in its hey-day. The ruins include the city walls, houses and shops from different periods built on terraces	Free
Palekastro	90 km. east of Aghios Nikolaos, 20 km. from Sitia, at Roussolakos, has some remains of a port settlement	Ticket
Petras	Ruins of a Minoan city
Spinalonga isle	It is an islet at the entrance of the Elounta bay. In antiquity there was a fortress of the Olounites. In 1579 the Venetians built a mighty fortress there, which remained under their rule even after the Ottoman occupation of Crete in 1669. During the last years of the Ottoman occupation, it was a safe refuge of Ottoman families. In 1903, by law of the Cretan government, it was appointed as thte place of stay for the lepers of Crete.	Ticket

Article source: http://www.explorecrete.com/archaeology/antiquities-crete.html

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