Description of the attraction
Festus is located 63 km from Heraklion and is considered one of the most famous settlements of Minoan Crete. In the XX-XVII centuries BC. The Phaistos Palace was the political and economic center of the island and only about the 15th century was supplanted in this role by Knossos.
Like the Palace of Knossos, in the Phaistos Palace, residential, religious and utility rooms are located around the main courtyard. The Phaistos Palace is distinguished from Knossos by its larger theater and grandiose grand staircase.
The famous Phaistos disc was discovered here - a round disc made of baked clay with a diameter of 16 cm, dating from the 17th century BC, on both sides of which hieroglyphic signs are depicted in a spiral. It has not yet been possible to decipher these signs.
Not far from Festus is Agia Triada - one of the residences of the Cretan kings. The ruins of the Minoan palace and significant fragments of wall frescoes have been preserved. In the local necropolis, carved vases and a sarcophagus depicting the "meal of the dead" were found. These items are kept in the Archaeological Museum of the city of Heraklion.
