The oldest city in Greece is set among arid hills in the southeast of the Herakleion plain. With its chequerboard of courtyards, corridors, stairways, upper floors, chambers, royal apartments and shrines, the mythical lair of the terrible Minotaur is well and truly a labyrinth. The excavation of the site in the early 20C marked a major step in our understanding of the Minoan civilisation. A civilisation steeped in legend, which still seems to haunt the site.

Recent excavations have uncovered the impressive ruins of the praetorium, a huge building that was both an administrative seat for the province and the Governor's residence. It was built of brick under Trajan in the 2C, then reconstructed in the 4C following an earthquake. Identifiable areas include a vast chamber (basilica), the baths, and the courtyard of a temple surrounded by a portico. The drums of its columns are lying beside the bases. Several damaged statues have been recovered.

The exhibits are arranged in chronological order and are devoted to Minoan civilisation. They are mainly the product of excavations complemented by reconstructions (models and watercolours) of the main palaces. Don't miss the remarkable Kamáres ware, the famous Snake Goddesses, the magnificent Rhyton, the extraordinary ivory acrobat, the famous golden pendant found at Mália, the Agía Triáda sarcophagus, etc.

The outbuildings include workshops for craftsmen, such as the one for potters (remains of kilns), and storerooms including one containing the pithoi (terracotta jars). From the central courtyard a passage lined by a portico decorated with animal sculptures leads to a room known as the Customs House. Not far away there is a lustral basin. The Royal Road probably led to Katsámbas and Amnisós, the ports of Knossós. It passes by a set of well-preserved terraces, thought to be part of a theatre mentioned by Homer as the setting for ritual dances.