The Phaistos Palace

The second largest Minoan palace in Crete is built on a hill, on the west side of the plain of Messara, a place where the goods of the valley as well as the exit to the sea and the ports of the bay (Kalamaki, Kommos, Matala) could be surveyed. As is the case with all Minoan palaces, it was considered to be the administrative, religious and financial centre of the area, and likewise it was surrounded by the Minoan city. According to mythology, the city of Phaistos was reigned by the dynasty of Rhadamanthus who was the son of Zeus and the brother of Minos.

Due to the exquisite architecture and flawless arrangement of its construction, the palace of Phaistos is currently viewed as one of the finest representations of a Minoan palace. The first palace was built in the beginning of the first millennium BC and was destroyed in a massive fire, approximately in 1700 BC. On top of its ruins, a new and more majestic palace was constructed, which would later be destroyed along with all other Minoan centres, in the mid 15th century BC, subsequently being  permanently abandonded.

Places to visit

At the archaeological site, visitors can discover the ruins of the old, as well as the new palace. The site is accessible through a western paved terrace, diagonally intersected by a «processional causeway». On the north side, there are eight deep steps, which functioned as the seats of a theatre, whereas at the southern end of the street stood the «propylon», a monumental gateway to the Old Palace.

On the northeast side of the west terrace, one of the earliest sanctuaries of the site is located, behind which visitors can discover the monumental staircase and the impressive propylaia (meaning gateways) of the new palace, one of the masterpieces of Prehellenic architecture. A wide corridor bridges the west with the «central court», the centre around which the different wings of the compound are symmetrically arranged.

On the west wing of the building, the «repositories» would be located, ten storerooms containing the goods of the palace (wine, oil, honey, grain etc.) inside large pots. On the south side, small sanctuaries were discovered, as deducted by artefacts of worship which were found on site, in addition to engravings of double axes on the walls. On the east wing of the building, workshops would be installed, whereas an external paved corridor, connected to a pipe for the drainage of rainwater, wound up to the small «north court».

Not to be missed

The luxurious «royal quarters», which are accessible through the majestic entrance on the north wing of the building. Here you can catch a glimpse of the «Queen’s Chamber» and on its north side, the «King’s Hall», both decorated with elaborate murals and paved with alabaster tiles. Furthermore, on the northeast end of the palace, a row of rooms belonging to the Old Palace are maintained to this day. They are thought to be rooms which were possibly used as  «archives», since it was there that the prominent and most well-known artefact of the area was discovered, the Phaistos disc, along with signs that display the Linear B writing system.