Gortyn

A leading city

People lived here from about 7000 BC, and Gortyn led Crete

The area was first inhabited around 7000 BC. The city's period of greatest prosperity was the Hellenistic era, when Gortyn was the most powerful and prosperous city of Crete and took hegemony of the island.

The code

The Gortyn Code is the oldest and most complete ancient Greek law code

Gortyn is known mainly for the 1884 discovery of the Gortyn Code, the oldest and most complete known example of a code of ancient Greek law. It is inscribed in the Dorian dialect on large stone slabs, and a modern structure at the Odeon now houses many of the stones.

1884year the Gortyn Code was discovered

Roman capital

Allied with the Romans, Gortyn became capital of Creta et Cyrenaica

Because it had allied with the Romans, Gortyn avoided the disaster that struck many Cretan cities when Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus invaded in 68 BC. It became the capital of the joint province of Creta et Cyrenaica.

The Praetorium

The Praetorium was the seat of the Roman governor of Crete

The heart of Roman Gortyn is the Praetorium, built in the 1st century AD and altered significantly over the next eight centuries. Nearby are the Roman baths, the temple of Apollo, an honorary arch, and a theater of the 2nd century AD.

The cathedral

A cathedral for Saint Titus was erected in the 6th century AD

One of the first Christian churches was built here. The cathedral, dedicated to St. Titus, the first Bishop of Crete, was erected in the 6th century AD as a cruciform church with a dome on four pillars. The city was destroyed around AD 828 by invading Arabs.