Gortyn(a)

Gortyna was inhabited continuously from the 8th century BC to the 9th century AD, and it is most famous for its law code dating from the 5th century BC.

At the beginning of the 3rd century AD the urban settlement underwent a major restructuring, with the building of an aqueduct 15 km long. The water supply system was renewed in the 6th century when the city was the seat of the Bishopric of Crete.

The city was allegedly abandoned in the 9th century at the time of the Arab conquest of Crete, but it was already in decline following the misfortunes of the Byzantine sea supremacy and a series of major earthquakes.

The site of ancient Gortyna is currently excavated by a joint team from the Universities of Bologna, Rome “La Sapienza“, Macerata, Palermo, Siena, Padova, Milano, coordinated by the Italian Archaeological School at Athens.