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Crete's District of
Phaistos (South) District
Archon:
 "That was Phaestos, which occupied a dominant postion on a two-hundred-foot high spur falling sheer on all sides to the fields and pasture lands of Crete's most fertile plain, the Mesara. The private apartments of the local prince were orientated to catch the cool breezes of summer, and the buiding was mortared with cement by the addition of a special earth from the volcanic island of Thera (Santorin). ...Phaestos and Haghia Triada were the places which controlled the commerce with Egypt." ~From The Ancient Mediterranean by Michael Grant
Historical Background
Phaistos, home of Radamanthis, brother of the legendary king Minos, was one of the most important centers of Minoan civilization. It was the most powerful and wealthy city of southern Crete. The palace of Phaistos had the most spectacular setting of all the palaces, as it was placed high on a hill overlooking the Messara Plain.The area was inhabited from the Neolithic Era. Several well organized settlemenst have been discovered on the hill and in the surrounding area. The first palace was built around 2000 BC, and the city grew to cover a considerable area surrounding it. The palace was destroyed and rebuilt several times between 2000 and 1600 BC. It was in continuous use even after its destruction once again around 1400 BC. The city continued to be inhabited until the 8th century BC, prospered during Hellenic times, but from there, gradually lost power until Gortyn, a nearby emerging city, destroyed it once and for all in 200 BC. Things To Do
Sources Hellenic Ministry of Culture Ancient-Greece.Org -Submitted by Louisa Agis
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