Gortyn
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- This article is about the ancient city in Crete; another place with the same name is Gortyna, Arcadia.
Gortyn (Greek Γορτυς/Gortys, also Γόρτυν/Gortun or Γόρτυνα/Gortuna) is an archaeological site on the Mediterranean island of Crete, 45 km away from the capital Heraklion. Gortyn, the Roman capital of Crete, was first inhabited around 3000 B.C., and was a flourishing Minoan town between 1600-1100 B.C. The island is now part of Greece.
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[edit] History of Gortyn
Whilst evidence of human occupation goes back as far as Neolithic pottery finds dated to 7000 BC, the Minoan period is one particularly important period which followed the occupation of Crete by the Dorians in 1100 BC. Later, during the Roman occupation dated 68 BC, Gortys was the largest city and the Capital of Crete and Northern Africa. The city was destroyed in 828 AD by Arabs.
One of the many important facts about Gortyn is that it was the first city that accepted Christianity. The first Christian temples were built there and the remains of the biggest and most important Christian cathedral of Crete can still be seen today. The cathedral is dedicated to St. Titus, the first Bishop of Crete during the Sixth century AD.
[edit] Monuments in Gortyn
The heart of Roman Gortys, is the Praetorium, the seat of the Roman Governor of Crete. Praetorium was built in the First century AD, but it was altered significantly over the next eight centuries. In the same area are the ruins of the Roman baths, as well as the temple of Apollo and the temple of the Egyptian deities.
Parts of the Roman settlement, such as the theater (Second century AD), have been unearthed during excavations. The theater has two entrances and a half-circular orchestra, the outline of which may still be seen today.
Behind the Roman Theater are what has been called the "Queen of the Inscriptions". These inscriptions are the laws of the city of Gortyn, they are inscribed in the Dorian dialect on large stone slabs and are still plainly visible.
[edit] The law code of Gortyn
Among archaeologists, ancient historians, and classicists Gortyn is known today primarily because of the 1884 discovery of the Gortyn Code which is both the oldest and most complete known example of a code of ancient Greek law. The code was discovered on the site of a structure built by the Roman emperor Trajan, the Odeon, which for the second time, reused stones from an inscription-bearing wall that also had been incorporated into the foundation of an earlier, Hellenistic structure. Although portions of the inscriptions have been placed in museums such as the Louvre in Paris, a modern structure at the site of the mostly ruined Odeon now houses many of the stones bearing the famous law code.
[edit] The myth of Europa and Zeus
Classical Greek mythology has it that Gortyn was the site of one of Zeus' many affairs. This myth features the princess Europa, whose name has been applied to the continent, Europe. Disguised as a bull, Zeus abducted Europa from Lebanon and they had an affair under a plane tree (platanos), a tree that may be seen today in Gortys. Following this affair three children were born, who became the kings of the three Minoan Palaces in Crete. The identification of Europa in this myth gives weight to the claim that the civilization of the European continent was born on the island of Crete.
[edit] External links
- Gortyn or Gortys
- Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: The Law Code of Gortyn (Crete)
- Photos of Gortyn
- Gortyna. Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved on February 18, 2007.
