Museums
of Crete
Hania
- Archaeological Museum. Tel.:
0821/20334. Housed in the Venetian church of San Francesco. Its
exhibits from western Crete and other areas date from the Neolithic
to the Roman era, and include idols, statues, inscriptions, weapons,
pottery, sealstones, coins, jewelry, etc.
- Historical Archives of Crete.
Tel.: 0821/22606 (open daily 8 - 13.00 except Saturdays and public
holidays). A rich collection of folklore and material related to the
history of the island. The archives are among the largest in the
country, second only to General Archives of the Greek State.
- Naval Museum of Crete. Tel.:
0821/26437 (open daily except Mondays, 10.00 - 14.00. From October
to end May, open afternoons Tuesdays - Thursdays - Saturdays, 16.00
- 18.00 and 17.00 - 19.00 during the other months. On the mole of
the Venetian harbor. Exhibits linked with the island's history.
Rethimno
- Archeological Museum. Tel.:
0831/29975. The museum contains interesting archaeological finds
from the region as well as a fine coin collection (actually situated
in the former prison, opposite the entrance to the Fortezza).
Iraklio 
- Archeological Museum. Tel.:
081/226092, 224630. One of the most important museums in Greece.
Here are assembled almost all the finds from the Minoan era.
Pottery, stone carvings, sealstones, statuettes, gold, metalwork,
the marvelous frescoes from the Royal and Little Palaces and villas
of the wealthy,
- and finally, the unique
painted limestone sarcophagus from Agia Trias.
- Historical Museum. Tel.:
081/283219. Exhibits from the Byzantine, Venetian and Turkish
periods and historical documents of more recent Cretan history. Also
a rich collection of folk art consisting of local costumes,
textiles, wood carvings and embroidery as well as a representation
of a typical Cretan house.
Agios Nikolaos
- Archaeological Museum. Tel.:
0841/24943. It contains finds from excavations in eastern Crete.
Antiquities
District of Hania
- Aptera. One of the most
important cities of ancient (7th c. B.C.) western Crete, Aptera was
built on a site 15 km. from Hania, south of Souda Bay, near the
village of Megala Horafia, which had a view of the whole plain of
Hania.
- 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 theater and the enormous vaulted cisterns of the
Roman period - according to one source they were used for grain
storage - preserved in excellent condition.
- Polyrrhenia (Polirinia). The
ruined walls and acropolis of Polyrrhenia lie 49 km west of Hania,
near Selli or Paleokastro. At Kria Vrissi, near Kissamos (Kastelli),
are the remains of a Roman aqueduct. Polyrrhenia, an important
ancient western Cretan city, was founded with the help of the
Achaias, who succeeded the Minoans as overlords of the island.
- Phalassarna (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 Hania.
- 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.
District of Iraklio
- Amnissos. 7.5 km. east of
Iraklio, the Minoan port of Knossos. It was here that archaeologists
found the Vila of the Frescoes of Amnissos, also called the Vila of
the Lilies.
- Archanes (Arhanes). 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). 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, 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 Vulcan 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 places of worship, treasuries, workshops
and storerooms.
- Malia , 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), 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, 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, 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, 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.
District of Lassithi
- Gournia, 19 km. southeast of
Agios 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 the houses.
- Dreros (Driros), 16 km.
northwest of Agios 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.
- Kato Zakros, 117 km. southeast
of Agios 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 Iraklio Archaeological Museum. This
palace, which covered 7.000 to 8.000 sq.m. and contained royal
apartments, storerooms and various workshops, 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.
- Lato, 15 km. west of Agios
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 heyday. The ruins include the city walls, houses and
shops from different periods built on terraces.
- Palekastro, 90 km. east of
Agios Nikolaos, 20 km. from Sitia, at Roussolakos, has some remains
of a port settlement.
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