Heraklion Archaeological Museum

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum, in the centre of Crete's capital, is one of the oldest and most important museums in Greece and ranks among the finest in Europe for prehistoric Aegean art. Its great claim to fame is the world's most complete collection of Minoan antiquities, gathered largely from the island's palace sites, so a visit here is the essential companion to seeing the ruins of Knossos, Phaistos and the other Minoan centres. The galleries trace Cretan history in chronological order, spanning roughly 5,500 years from the Neolithic period through the Minoan heyday and down to Roman times. The museum's twenty-plus rooms display the masterpieces of Minoan craftsmanship: delicate gold jewellery, carved stone vessels, painted pottery, and the originals of the famous wall paintings whose copies adorn Knossos, including the bull-leaping fresco and graceful images of dolphins and processions. Among the most celebrated objects are the faience snake goddess figurines, the bull's-head rhyton carved from stone, and intricately worked seal stones that hint at Minoan religion and daily life. Its single most iconic exhibit is the Phaistos Disc, a fired-clay disc about 16 cm across found in 1908 by the Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier at the palace of Phaistos. Dating to roughly the early second millennium BC, both faces are stamped with 241 pictographic signs arranged in a spiral, impressed into the clay with seals before firing. The script has never been deciphered, and the disc remains one of archaeology's most tantalising puzzles, drawing visitors from around the world. The building itself is modern and well laid out, with good lighting and informative labelling that helps make sense of the vast sweep of material. Allowing at least a couple of hours does the collection justice, and devoted enthusiasts could easily spend half a day. Because the displays are organised by period, it is easy to follow the rise of Minoan culture, its sudden decline, and the later Mycenaean, Greek and Roman phases of the island. The museum stands a short walk from the central Lions Square in Heraklion, making it simple to combine with a stroll through the old town, the Venetian harbour and Koules Fortress. It is reachable on foot from anywhere in the city centre, by city bus or taxi, and combined tickets with the Knossos site are available. It suits anyone interested in history, art or archaeology, and visiting it before or after Knossos greatly enriches the experience of both.