Archaeological Site of Gortyna
Gortyna is a large archaeological site 45 km south of Heraklion, beside the road that links the village of Agii Deka with Mires. The ancient city is also written Gortyn and Gortys. It spread across both banks of the river Mitropolianos, also called the Litheos, and the ancient olive grove of Gortyna still surrounds the ruins.
The site is one of the most important in Greece, and it is not one enclosure but several. Ruins stand inside the main enclosure near the road, across the road to the south, on the hill to the north-west and 200 m along the lane towards Mitropoli, so a full visit means walking between them.
The history of Gortyna
Gortyna has been inhabited since 3000 BC, and during the Minoan era the settlement grew into one of the largest cities in Crete. In the 3rd century BC it overtook Phaestus and took control of the harbour of Matala, while keeping its own ports at Levina, now Lentas, and Lassea, now Chrysostomos.
Gortyna peaked under the Roman Empire, when the Romans made it the capital of the joint province of Crete and Cyrenaica, in what is now Libya. The Arabs destroyed the city in 828 AD, closing roughly ten centuries of prosperity.
Archaeological work began in 1884, when Federico Halbherr and Stefanos Xanthoudides found the Great Inscription of Gortyna. Formal excavation started in 1898 and has continued ever since.
Attractions to visit in Gortyna: the main ruins
10 separate monuments make up a visit to Gortyna, some inside the main enclosure and some a short walk away. They are described below in the order most visitors meet them.
The temple of Saint Titus
The temple of Saint Titus survives as part of a basilica dedicated to the first bishop of Crete, standing inside the main site near the road. The church was built in the 6th or 7th century and took the dedication after the larger basilica of Saint Titus nearby was destroyed. The surviving section is still in use, now for the worship of Panagia, the Virgin Mary, and several stone sarcophagi have been identified around it, used for the burial of priests.
The Roman Odeon
The Roman Odeon is the largest odeon in ancient Crete, which is to say an indoor Roman theatre. Romans came here for performances and talks, and the auditorium has survived in good condition along with the semicircular orchestra and the stage, which was decorated with statues. The Agora and the temple of Asclepius stood next to it.
The Great Inscription of Gortyna
The Great Inscription is the oldest surviving law code in ancient Greece, and it is carved on stone columns beside the small theatre. Halbherr found four of them in 1884, written in the Doric dialect and engraved in boustrophedon script, meaning the direction of writing alternates from line to line.
Parts of the other eight columns turned up later, some of them built into the walls of houses in the village of Agii Deka, which completed the puzzle of the Law of Gortyn. The twelve columns, known as deltas, carried about 640 verses, of which 605 have been recovered. The laws date to 450 BC and draw on Minoan elements.
The exhibition of the statues
The exhibition of the statues occupies a small room near the parking place and holds the Roman sculpture found at Gortyna. One of the more important pieces is thought to show the emperor Antoninus Pius.
The plane tree of Gortys
The plane tree of Gortys grows at the back of the archaeological site, and it is evergreen, unlike other plane trees, which are deciduous. Greek mythology names it as the perennial plane tree of Gortyna under which Zeus and Europe mated, a union that produced the three kings of Crete: Minos, Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon.
The myth left traces in the ground. Several coins found at Gortyna depict Europe and Minos, or Zeus, and the name of the city itself is thought to come from Gortyna, the son of Radamanthys.
The Acropolis
The acropolis of Gortyna sits on a hill north-west of the city, within walking distance of the main site. After the Dorian invasion of 1100 BC it was fortified with a polygonal wall carrying towers at its corners. On top, archaeologists have identified a Byzantine basilica of the 6th century AD, built over an older Greek temple dedicated to Athena that dates from the 7th century BC.
The Praetorium
The Praetorium stands south of the main road, again within walking distance of the main site, and dates from the 1st century AD. This was the headquarters of the Roman province of Crete and Cyrenaica, a large and elaborate building whose marble floors, columns and statues can still be seen. The complex also held Roman baths, a colonnaded courtyard, a temple to the deified Augustus, courts and other public buildings, and in the Byzantine period it housed a monastery.
The Roman spas
The Roman spas, or thermae, form a large complex near the Praetorium with several auxiliary rooms and toilets. As in most Roman baths there were warm rooms, rooms of intermediate temperature and cold rooms. The ruins have not been fully excavated, but the layout is legible on the ground.
The Great Basilica of St Titus
The Great Basilica lies 200 m south of the main archaeological site, on the way to Mitropoli village. The five-aisled church was the largest in Crete and was found by accident in 1978. An earthquake destroyed it in 670 AD, after which the dedication to Saint Titus moved to the church inside the present archaeological site.
The temple of Apollo
The sanctuary of the Pythian Apollo stands a few metres north of the Great Basilica, on the path that carries on to the Praetorium. It was found in 1887 and dates from the 7th century BC, and it was the largest temple in Gortyna until Christianity arrived in Crete and the church of Saint Titus was built. A small theatre, an aqueduct and a few houses stood beside it.
The temple of the Egyptian gods
The temple of the Egyptian gods stands near the temple of Apollo and is dedicated to Isis, Sarapis and Hermanubis, the only temple in ancient Crete given to Egyptian deities. It was fitted with an underground crypt and a cistern.
Things to do near Gortyna
The Messara plain and the Psiloritis foothills put 5 further stops within a short drive of Gortyna, listed here nearest first.
- Walk a gorge. Apolychnos Gorge starts 5.6 km from the site, the closest of the local walks.
- Head up to Zaros. The village of Zaros lies 8.6 km away, with Agios Nikolaos Monastery 10 km off and Rouvas Gorge 11.6 km.
- Add a second palace. The Minoan Palace of Phaistos and the Archaeological Site of Agia Triada lie 12.4 km and 13.4 km away on the Messara plain.
- Visit a monastery. Kalyviani Monastery stands near Mires, and Vrontissi monastery is up in Vorizia.
- See a prepalatial cemetery. The Koumasa Prepalatial Cemetery lies 10.6 km from Gortyna, and the Agios Thomas Roman Tombs are 14.4 km away.
Getting to Gortyna
Drive south from Heraklion for about 45 km and take the road between Agii Deka and Mires. The ruins line both sides of that road, and the main enclosure with the temple of Saint Titus and the Odeon is the obvious stop, with parking beside it.
Two villages frame the site for anything else you need. Agii Deka is next to the ruins, some of its houses built with stones from the Great Inscription, and Agia Varvara is 9.9 km away. Further out, Ancient Rizinia sits 13.1 km from the site and Tripiti Gorge 11.4 km.
Frequently asked questions
Where is ancient Gortyna?
Gortyna lies 45 km south of Heraklion, beside the road connecting Agii Deka with Mires. The ruins stand on both banks of the river Mitropolianos, inside the ancient olive grove of Gortyna.
What is the Law of Gortyn?
It is the oldest surviving law code in ancient Greece, engraved on 12 stone columns at Gortyna. The code dates to 450 BC, runs to about 640 verses of which 605 have been found, and is written in the Doric dialect in boustrophedon script.
Why was Gortyna important to the Romans?
The Romans made Gortyna the capital of the province of Crete and Cyrenaica. The Praetorium of the 1st century AD served as the provincial headquarters, and the city reached its peak in this period.
How long do you need at Gortyna?
Long enough to walk between 4 separate areas. The main enclosure holds the temple of Saint Titus, the Odeon and the Great Inscription, while the Praetorium and the spas lie south of the road, the acropolis sits on the hill to the north-west, and the Great Basilica is 200 m south towards Mitropoli.
What is the plane tree of Gortys?
An evergreen plane tree at the back of the site, unusual because plane trees are normally deciduous. Myth names it as the tree under which Zeus and Europe mated, producing Minos, Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon.
When was Gortyna destroyed?
The Arabs destroyed the city in 828 AD. By then Gortyna had been prosperous for roughly ten centuries, having overtaken Phaestus in the 3rd century BC and served as a Roman provincial capital.
Location
Archaeological Site of Gortyna is located at Ancient Gortyna, in the Heraklion region of Crete. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
