Description of the attraction
About 45 km south of the administrative center of the island of Crete, the city of Heraklion, near the village of Agia Deka in the picturesque Messara Valley, lie the ruins of the ancient city of Gortyna, one of the oldest cities in Greece.
The results of archaeological excavations prove that people lived in the Messara Valley as early as the Neolithic era. Artifacts found during excavations confirm that the settlement existed here during the Minoan civilization, but most likely it was relatively small and did not have much influence. Gortyna from the period of "heroic times" is described by Homer as a well-fortified and prosperous city. True, it should be noted that little is known about this period in the history of the city.
Already in the 8th century BC. Gortyna was a very large and developed polis, vying for the "palm" with its strong and prosperous neighbor - the city of Festus. The famous ancient Greek philosopher Plato in his writings writes about Gortyna as one of the richest and most influential cities in Crete. The city also flourished during the period of Roman rule, becoming the capital of the province of "Crete and Cyrenaica", and after the administrative-territorial reforms of Diocletian - the capital of the province of "Crete". Gortyna was destroyed around 828 during the Arab invasion.
Today Gortyna is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece, as well as one of the most interesting and popular sights of the island of Crete, where you can see the Roman baths, praetorium, odeon, the temple of Apollo, the sanctuaries of such Egyptian deities as Isis, Serapis and Anubis, the Basilica of St. Titus and much more. Gortyn received worldwide fame largely thanks to the so-called "Gortinian laws" - one of the most important and most complete sets of ancient Greek legislation. The laws carved on stone slabs were discovered during excavations in 1884, creating a real sensation among scientists. And although some of them are exhibited today in museums, including the famous Louvre, fragments of slabs with ancient inscriptions can still be seen in the ruins of Gortyna's odeon.
Reviews
| All reviews 4 Olga 2013-20-02 16:27:48
ruin We were with my husband last year on excursions. The whole tour takes no more than 2 hours. Walking on stones is prohibited, all ruins are surrounded by ribbons. The excursion is interesting for lovers of antiquity.
