Gortyn

This article is about the ancient city in Crete; another place with the same name is Gortyna, Arcadia.

Gortyn (Greek Γορτυς/Gortys, also Γόρτυν/Gortun or Γόρτυνα/Gortuna) is an archaeological site in the Greek island of Crete, 45 km away from the capital Heraklion. Gortyn, the Roman capital of Crete, was first inhabited around 3000 B.C., and was a flourishing Minoan town between 1600-1100 B.C.

History of Gortyn

Whilst its story goes back as far as the Minoan period, one particularly important period was that which followed the occupation of Crete by the Dorians (1100 BC). Later, during the Roman occupation (68 BC), Gortys was the largest city and the Capital of Crete and Northern Africa. The city was destroyed in 828 AD by Arabs.

One of the many important facts about Gortyn is that it was the first city that accepted Christianity. The first Christian temples were built there and the remains of the biggest and most important Christian cathedral of Crete can still be seen today. The cathedral is dedicated to St. Titus, the first Bishop of Crete (6th century AD).

Monuments in Gortyn

Parts of the Roman settlement, such as the theater (2nd century AD), have been unearthed during excavations. The theatre has two entrances and a halfcircular orchestra the outline of which can still be seen today.

Behind the Roman Theater you can see the socalled "Queen of the Inscriptions". These inscriptions are the laws of the city of Gortyn, they are inscribed in the Dorian dialect on large stone slabs and are still plainly visible.

The heart of Roman Gortys, is the Praetorium, the seat of the Roman Governor of Crete. Praetorium was built in the 1st century AD, but it was altered significantly over the next eight centuries. In the same area you will admire the ruins of the Roman baths, as well as the temple of Apollo and the temple of the Egyptian gods.

The Law Code of Gortyn

Among archaeologists, ancient historians, and classicists, Gortyn is primarily known today because of the 1884 discovery of the Gortyn Code which is both the oldest and most complete known example of a code of ancient Greek law. The code was discovered on the site of the Odeon, a structure built by the Roman emperor Trajan, which reused for the second time stones from an inscription-bearing wall that had been incorporated into the foundation of an earlier Hellenistic structure. Today, a modern structure at the site of the mostly ruined Odeon houses the stones bearing the famous law code.

The Myth of Zeus and Europe

Greek mythology has it that Gortyn witnessed one of Zeus' many affairs — with the princess Europa, from whom the name of the continent Europe has ultimately been taken. Zeus, disguised as a bull, abducted Europa from Lebanon and they had an affair under a plane tree (platanos), a tree that may be still be seen today in Gortys. Following this affair three boys were born and they later became the kings of the three Minoan Palaces in Crete. The mention of Europa in this myth gives weight to the claim that the civilization of the European continent was born on the island of Crete.

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