Heraklion Archaeological Museum

Almost everything known about Minoan Crete can be traced through the objects in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. It holds the most important collection of Minoan art anywhere, gathered largely from Knossos, Phaistos, Malia and other sites across the island. Signs in Greek read Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Ηρακλείου.

The best-known pieces include the enigmatic Phaistos Disc with its stamped, undeciphered signs, the faience Snake Goddess figurines, the bull's-head rhyton carved from stone, and the gold bee pendant from Malia. Upstairs, the original frescoes from Knossos include the Bull-Leaping Fresco and the Prince of the Lilies. Nearby stands the painted sarcophagus from Hagia Triada. The collection spans Cretan history from the Neolithic to the Roman period.

The museum dates from the late nineteenth century. Its present modernist building by Patroklos Karantinos stands on the site of a Venetian monastery. More than half a million people visit each year, many pairing it with Knossos, a short distance away. A thorough look takes two to three hours.