Fodor's Expert Review Gortyna

Appearing in Homeric poems, Gortyna was second only to Knossos in importance and flourished in the early centuries of Roman rule. The Gortyn Law Code, an inscription from the 5th century BC, and the earliest known written Greek law, confirms the prosperity of the city, and at its peak as many as 100,000 people may have lived nearby. It was the earliest Christian Cretan city and became the seat of Apostle Titus, the first bishop of Crete. It was later sacked by the Arabs in 824 AD

The first major monument visible is the Byzantine Basilica of Agios Titus, probably built on the remains of an older church. A soaring apse and two side chapels have been restored. Adjacent, is the Odeion, levelled by an earthquake and rebuilt by Emperor Trajan. Within the walls of the theatre are the 600 lines of the Law Code, engraved upon a wall tablet.

Crossing the road that bisects the site, the main attractions are the Praetorium, the palace of the Roman governor of Crete that dates back to the 2nd century AD, and the Nymphaeum, a public bath originally supplied by an aqueduct and adorned with statues.

Climb to the hilltop Acropolis for a view of the site; below you will see the evergreen plane tree that served as Zeus and Europa's mating-bed according to mythology. From this union, the three kings of Crete were produced: Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon.

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