Amnisos - Karteros

was the port of Knossos. Also, at the outfalls of Karteros River, there was the navy yard of Minos.

Theseus embarked in Amnisos when he came to kill Minotaurus. Idomeneus, the grandson of Minos, sailed with eighty ships, to help Agamemnon in his expedition against Troy. Odysseus stopped there in his wandering going back to Ithaca.

In his excavations in 1932, Spyros Marinatos unearthed Minoan court of the third Mid-minoan period. The court has beautiful frescos. Some of them is the famous “lilies frescos”, which are now exhibited at the Archaeological Museum of Herakleion.

In 846 AD, the Byzantine general Karteros embarked at Amnisos. Karteros gave his name to the whole area later, when he fought the Saracens. From the top of the hill of Palaiochora, where the city was located, you can clearly see the bay.

In addition, the Eileithyia cave or the “fairy-cave”, as the peasants call it, is located at the slope of the hill. This cave is one of the most ancient religious places. The cave is consecrated to Eileithyia, matron of birth and daughter of Hera. It has beautiful natural columns, lakes, and stalactites. The word Amnisos is the first word that was deciphered in Linear B. the city was ruined in 1500 BC by the waves that the upheaval of Thera volcano caused. Pieces of pumice stone were also found there.

Near the hill, there was found a temple consecrated to Zeus Thenatas. The temple has a large round altar, which has traces of burned sacrifices. The structure is built with huge hacked boulders of limestone. On the boulders, there are inscribed symbols. There were also found inscription tables and two seated eagles made of limestone. Myrinos, who was epic and lyric poet, was from Amnisos.

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