Amnissos Heraklion
Archaeological site, Cave, Homeric city, Neolithic finds, Minoan sacred cave, Minoan mansion, Ancient port, Homeric name
The beach of Amnissos lies about 7,5 km from the city of Heraklion. It overlooks the islet of Dia, which was a very important religious site in Minoan times. Just one km inland from Amnissos, near the village Elia, you can visit the extraordinary Cave of Eileithyia.
The beautiful sandy beach of Amnissos is very close to the city of Heraklion (7,5 km). The beach overlooks the islet of Dia, which played an important role in Minoan times. According to the Greek mythology, Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, was kidnapped from the palace of Knossos, brought to Dia and killed.However, Amnisos has been inhabited since Neolithic times. In Minoan times it was a port for Knossos, from which Idomeneus and his 90 ships set sail to take part in the Trojan War.Archeologists have discovered in a villa of 1600 BC the extraordinary Fresco of the Lilies, which is on display in the Archeological Museum of Heraklion. The settlement has been completely destroyed by fire, as all the other Minoan settlements, apparently due to the catastrophic eruption of the Santorini volcano. One kilometre inland from Amnissos is the Cave of Eileithyia, a significant ancient site. History of The first habitation in the area of Palaiochora (Amnissos) dates from the Middle Minoan period (19th century B.C.). The site is mentioned as a-mi-mi-so in the Linear B tablets. The Minoan "Villa of the Lilies" was destroyed by fire in the 15th century B.C. but complexes C and E continued to be inhabited until the 12th century B.C. In the Archaic period (7th century B.C.) the sanctuary of Zeus Thenatas was founded and remained in use until the 2nd century A.D. After a long period of abandonment, the hill was again inhabited during the Venetian occupation. The first excavations of the site were conducted at the villa by Spyridon Marinatos in 1929-1938. Parts of the "Mycenaean" settlement (LM III period) were later excavated by Stylianos Alexiou. In 1983-85 the buildings were cleared and drawn by the Archaeological Institute of the University of Heidelberg, under the direction of Jorg Schaefer.Consolidation works and clearing are carried out at intervals by the 23rd Ephorate at the "Villa of the Lilies" and the sanctuary of Zeus.