Ancient Gortyn
Γόρτυν
Greece · Crete, Heraklion
In brief
Gortyn was the capital of the province of Crete and Cyrene during the Roman period. The city is particularly known for its legal text carved into stone blocks and its long-term Italian excavations.
What was found?
- 1Gortyn Law Code inscription
The laws inscribed on a stone wall contain provisions concerning family, inheritance, property, and individuals' legal status. They allow the everyday relationships of ancient society to be studied directly through written rules.
- 2Roman odeon
The stones bearing the ancient legal inscription were reassembled in the rear wall of the odeon. According to researchers, the building was used both for city council meetings and for performances.
- 3Temple of Apollon Pythios
The temple on the city's plain was one of the principal centers of religious life. Its building phases from different periods allow the sanctuary's long history to be traced.
- 4Praetorium
This is the administrative building where the Roman governor conducted legal and administrative business. It provides tangible evidence of Gortyn's role as the capital of the province of Crete and Kyrene.
- 5Church of Saint Titus
The large three-aisled church is among the city's Christian buildings from Late Antiquity. It documents the change in religious architecture.
What does it point to?
Gortyn's legal inscription reveals a society in which family and property relations were governed by detailed rules and freedom status had legal consequences. Roman administrative buildings and later churches indicate that the city's political and religious roles changed over time.
What did it teach us?
- Documented certain property rights of women concerning divorce and inheritance directly through a legal text.
- Showed that ancient law stones were reused in a new public building during the Roman period.
- Enabled the buildings of a provincial administrative center and a Christian-period city to be studied in the same place.
Record
- Culture
- Minoan; Ancient Greek; Roman; Byzantine
- First modern dig
- 1884
- Team / historical
- Atina İtalyan Arkeoloji Okulu; Apollon Pythios kutsal alanında Padova Üniversitesi ve Jacopo Bonetto
- Coordinates
- 35.0594°, 24.9500°
Sources
- crete.classics.ox.ac.uk
- topostext.org
- Oxford Üniversitesi — Roma öncesi Gortyn
- Oxford Üniversitesi — Roma ve Geç Roma Gortyn’i
- Fordham Üniversitesi — Gortyn Yasaları çevirisi
Nearby excavations
- Phaistos 12 km
- Zominthos 22 km
- Knossos 33 km
- Palace of Malia 56 km
- Gournia Minoan Settlement 77 km
- Palace and Settlement of Zakros 119 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
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All excavation sites (465)
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Greece
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- Ancient Corinth
- Ancient Dion
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- Ancient Messene
- Ancient Pella
- Antikythera Shipwreck
- Delos
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- Phaistos
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- Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus
- Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore at Eleusis
- Sanctuary of Dodona
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