Ancient Amnisos (Amnisos) description and photos - Greece: Crete (Topic)

Ancient Amnisos description and photos - Greece: Crete. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Amnisos.

Photo and description

On the northern coast of Crete, 7 km south of Heraklion, there is the Bronze Age settlement of Amnis. The ancient city is mentioned in the earliest ancient Greek literature, as well as in mythology, but the city arose much earlier, even in prehistoric times. It got its name from the Amnis River (later called Kairatos), the mouth of which is located nearby.

Ancient Amnis flourished in the era of Minoan civilization and was one of the two harbors of the legendary Knossos. Today the sea level is 3 m higher than it was in the Minoan era, and part of the ancient settlement is under water, where you can still see sunken structures.

For the first time, archaeological excavations of ancient Amnis were started in 1932 by one of the leading Greek archaeologists of the 20th century, Spyridon Marinatos. Then the famous "House of Lilies" was discovered - a two-storey building with 10 rooms, decorated with excellent frescoes with floral motifs in the so-called "naturalistic style". The courtyard of the house was paved with stone tiles. One of the well-preserved frescoes depicting red and white lilies (hence the name of the house), as well as mint, iris and papyrus, is today kept in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. The "House of Lilies" was destroyed by fire in the first Late Minoan era.

During the excavations of Amnis, traces of volcanic ash and pumice were also found - the consequences of the most powerful explosion of the Santorini volcano, which occurred in the middle of the 16th century BC, which is considered the largest in the history of the earth.

Today there is a small resort village with an excellent sandy beach. This place is not very popular among tourists, but nevertheless, it is perfect for those who like a quiet and secluded holiday.

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Topic: Ancient Amnisos (Amnisos) description and photos - Greece: Crete.