Page 265 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Greek Islands

Must See
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PHAISTOS

ΤΟ ΑΝΑΚΤΟΡΟ ΤΗΣ ΦΑΙΣΤΟΎ

⌂ 65 km (40 miles) SW of Iráklio § 28920 42315 # Hours vary,
check website ¢ Main public hols ∑ odysseus.culture.gr
One of four great Minoan palaces discovered on Crete, Phaistos was
first excavated by Italian archaeologist Federico Halbherr between
1884 and 1904, who unearthed two palaces on site. Situated south of
Iráklio on the Messara plain, Phaistos is backed by Mount Ida.

Remains of the first palace, constructed
around 1900 BC and destroyed by an
earthquake in 1700 BC, are still visible.
However, most of the present ruins are of the
second palace, which was severely damaged
around 1450 BC, possibly by a tidal wave.
Although a large number of inscriptions were
found on site, they are all in Linear A script,
which remains largely undeciphered. This, and
the superimposed ruins of the two palaces,
have made it more challenging to discover
who lived on the site.
Phaistos was the second largest palace in
Minoan Crete. Unlike at larger Knosós (p260),
where the ruins were creatively interpreted
and partially rebuilt by Sir
Arthur Evans, Phaistos
remains an archaeological
site. Visitors, free to wander
around the site, can imagine
the structure of the
complex, which is laid out One of the ancient
similarly to the other storerooms found
Minoan palaces with a in the palace
central courtyard and grand
stair case, the star feature of
the site. A visitor wandering
through the ruins
of the palace

THE PHAISTOS DISC
This round clay disc (right), 16 cm (6 in) in diameter,
was discovered at Phaistos in 1908. It is inscribed
on both sides with pictorial symbols, similar to
hieroglyphs, that spiral from the circumference
into the centre. While no one has yet been able
to completely decipher its meaning or identify
its origins, a number of the disc’s symbols have
been cracked after years of study. The disc is
now thought to be a sacred hymn, referring to
a pregnant goddess. The disc is one of the most
important exhibits at the Irákleio Archaeological
Museum (p258) – although a small number of
scholars have suggested the disc is a hoax.

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