PHAESTOS PALACE

The Minoan palace of Phaistos, open to visitors, dominates the western part of the Messaras plain, the largest in area and the most fertile in Crete. Excavations have uncovered a palace built on a four-storey citadel. It is thus these successive levels that allow, still today, admirable effects of perspective above the olive groves of the plain. Numerous wide staircases allowed access from one level to the other. From his palace and from a balcony willingly facing the sea, the king of Phaistos could embrace the whole landscape while watching over the plain but also the passages to the sea and the ports of the bay of Messaras, such as those of Matala, Kommos and Kalamaki.

The palace of Phaistos is of a remarkable architectural structure, while the essential elements are the same as in Knossos: rooms arranged around a courtyard where bullfighting shows were probably organized, reception rooms, private apartments, workshops and storerooms, shops. A staircase separates the king's room from the queen's room. Another imposing, well-preserved staircase leads up to the propylaeum. The first palace was built at the beginning of the second millennium BC. Destroyed and then restored, it dominated the region for about three centuries. In 1700 BC, the first palace of Phaistos was completely destroyed by a great fire. On the ruins, a new palace was built, more sumptuous than the previous one. It too was destroyed in the second half of the 15th century BC, suffering the same fate as the other Minoan centres of power in Crete. The remains we visit today are those of the second palace. The few ruins of the first palace can be easily spotted on the site, as they are fragile and protected by roofs. They are accessed through a paved courtyard (south courtyard). It was on the site that the famous Phaistos Disc was discovered, most probably dating from the 17th century BC, whose symbols have not yet been deciphered, thus rendering a considerable part of the historical past of Crete and Ancient Greece enigmatic even today (this disc can be admired in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion). It is also on this site that, according to legend, the dynasty of Rhadamanthe, son of Zeus and Europe, younger brother of Minos and judge of the kingdom of the dead, reigned. For a good orientation, it is essential to obtain a detailed and explanatory guide (in English) at the entrance of the site.