Hi all,

 

This post is dedicated to you „history lover“, who is amazed by Greek mythology, ancient civilisations, society structures in these old times. Crete is not just an island of lagoons, gorges, mountains, valleys, wine and olive oil production. Crete is full of history and mystery.

A must visit in Heraklion is the Heraklion Archeological Museum. One of the best museums I have ever been in. It is the best museum for Minoan art and has best collection of Minoan artefacts.

The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean Islands. The flourishing period of this civilisations was from c. 2700 to c. 1450, when some time around 1100 BC it declined. It preceded and was absorbed by the Mycenaean civilization of ancient Greece. The British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans rediscovered the Minoan civilization during 20th century. The name „Minoan“ derives from the mythical King Minos and was proclaimed by Evans. He identified the site at Knossos with the labyrinth and the Minotaur. The Minoan civilization has been described as the earliest of its kind in Europe.

Here tiny bit of photos on what you can witness in the museum. Spend good time there, it is really needed if you want to understand and learn. Then you can go to visit Knossos palace.

The Hagia Triada Sarcophagus 

If you skip this museum and only see Knossos palace you will truly miss the interesting facts about this amazing civilization. Take bus 1 will bring you right next to Knossos palace. The museum is in the city center, hardly possible to miss.