By Nicolas Bard
The city of Heraklion may not be as picturesque as Chania, Rethymnon and Agios Nikolaos, but there are great archaeological sites in the prefecture of Heraklion, which you must visit, located in Megalonissos.
It is a true journey through time, demonstrating the importance of the island since antiquity. Most of these places have certainly seen and studied in history books, but a visit there can be a thousand times better and experiential lesson. So let’s look at three great archaeological sites worth going, at least once in your life.
Knossos
At a distance of about 5 kilometers from the modern city of Heraklion lies the insurmountable Knossos, which recently entered the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The famous Palace of Knossos, which flourished in the Minoan era (2000 -1350 BC) was the most important center of Minoan civilization.
With its labyrinthine architectural structure and total area of ​​22,000 sq.m. It revives the legend of the labyrinth. Thanks to the restorations of Arthur Evans, a Knossos excavator, you will feel like you are in the Minoan era. There, among other things, you will see the throne hall, the transmitter corridor, which is decorated with frescoes, from which the famous “Prince with the Lilies”, the double -haired room, and the Queen’s apartment with the frescoes of the dolphins. The tour is completed with the small palace of the 15th century. BC, the royal villa of the 14th century. BC, the house of the frescoes and the villa of Dionysus.
Figistically
According to mythology, Phaistos was founded by Minos, along with Knossos and Kydonia, or by Radamanthi, son of Zeus and Europe who reigned in southern Crete. The hill of Phaistos was first inhabited in the 4th millennium BC. and continued to be inhabited until the establishment and consolidation of the Minoan palaces (15th century BC).
The Minoan city developed around the palace center and continued to be inhabited in the Mycenaean years, up to the geometric period (8th century BC). In the middle of the 2nd century BC. It was destroyed and enslaved by Gortyn. Traces of the Venetian occupation of the Venetian rule are scattered throughout the area. The palace has the design of the Minoan palaces and is comparable to Knossos, but less complex. As for Phaistos’ famous album, discovered in the basement of her palace in 1908 by Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernee, she remains one of the most exciting mysteries of archeology, since it has not yet been explained, what was the purpose of its construction and what exactly it is. It is probably dated from the 17th century. B.C. and is now on display at the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion.
Gortyn
The archaeological walk ends in Gortyn, which in antiquity was one of the most powerful cities in Crete. The area of ​​the archaeological site (10 km) ranks it among the largest in Greece.
After its occupation by the Romans, in 68 BC, it became the capital of the Cyrene province. How important religious center was witnessed by the Early Christian basilicas that came to light and were built on the ruins of ancient temples. The most important and impressive is the Basilica of St. Titus. It has experienced many phases of rebuilding (the one we see belongs to the 6th century AD) and was destroyed by the Saracens in 824. The city seems to have begun to decline in the 7th-8th century, but the position was not abandoned in the 2nd Byzantine period. In place of the ancient city, the village of Saints was built.
Source :Skai
I am Frederick Tuttle, who works in 247 News Agency as an author and mostly cover entertainment news. I have worked in this industry for 10 years and have gained a lot of experience. I am a very hard worker and always strive to get the best out of my work. I am also very passionate about my work and always try to keep up with the latest news and trends.
