Tourkogitonia Minoan Palace

The Archanes Palace can be found in the suburb of Tourkogitonia in the town of Epano Archanes. It was only discovered in 1964 by the renowned Cretan archaeologist Giannis Sakellarakis, as only a few remnants of the palace had been uncovered prior to that. Some portions of the palace remain beneath the modern-day houses of Arhanes. The palace was just as affluent and influential as the palace of Knossos and appeared to have strong ties of dependency. The objective of the palace and the Minoan town of Archanes, which spanned the same area as the present-day town, was to govern the rich and fertile mainland and oversee the numerous religious centers in the region (Anemospilia sanctuary, Giouchtas mount, necropolis in Fourni).

The palace complex experienced a history similar to that of other Minoan Crete palaces. It was constructed in 1900 BC, damaged by an earthquake in 1700 BC, rebuilt but destroyed again in 1600 BC, reconstructed, and ultimately destroyed in 1450 BC. Following the 1450 BC catastrophe, the city thrived once more under Mycenaean rule until 1200 BC.

In Tourkogitonia, the primary structure of the palace has been identified, along with the theater, the Archive (home to plaques inscribed with the Minoan script Linear A), sanctuaries, an impressive entrance, compartments, cisterns, a hydraulic system, and more. The palace likely had two floors, and its walls were adorned with frescoes. Numerous objects and ritual vessels were discovered within the palace, including figurines, portable altars, decorated jars, vases and cups, steatite seals, ivory human heads, and even flower pots! The majority of these artifacts are on display at the Archaeological Museum of Archanes and the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion.