Heraklion to Zakros

Heraklion to Zakros, Crete, Greece, 13 October 2018.

(Click on any image to see it in a larger size, if you are on a PC or tablet at least.)

We headed from Heraklion to the far east of Crete.

The map as shown above is the actual route, which differs from the planned route as shown on an earlier map.

A small village from the road. I think this is from the main road, before we turned off for the windmills. Much later I saw a spectacular small village on a ridge but it was a narrow winding road with nowhere to pull off for a photograph.

These are windmills of the Lasithi Plateau.

They first appeared in Byzantine times but were mainly established in the Venetian era.

They are fixed windmills, oriented to the direction of the prevailing wind and used for grinding grain. The door was on the leeward side.

Somewhat later, this is Pacheia Amnos, where we stopped for a coffee..

I had been interested in visiting the small Island of Spinalonga a bit further north. This was the last holdout of the Venetians, for forty-six years after the rest of the island fell to the Ottomans. Much later it was a holdout for Ottomans after the 1878 Cretan Revolt. In the early 20th century it was a leper colony. However, it was going to take half a day which was more time than I had available.

Nearby, this is the wonderful Orthodox Church of Agia Fotini.

… And close by the church is a Minoan archaeological site.

From a distance and far above, this is Paralia Tholos. The next four images are taken from the same spot.

Small fishing boat off the island of Pseira, not far offshore.

. .

Different boat, same island.

A wider view, showing both the Paralia Tholos Bay and the island of Pseira.

A bit further on, an eroded coastline.

The little town is Mochios.

At the roadside, agricultural buildings, probably with a story to tell.

From the same spot, a wider view looking towards Mochios in the distance, with the island of Pseira in the far distance.

This is the small town of Palaikastro on the far east end of the island.

I would also have liked to get to the north-east tip of Crete but there’s never enough time for everything when travelling.

Only a kilometre or so from Palaikastro is the Minoan Town of Palaikastro at Rousolakkos.

A recently excavated section is covered with a roof to protect it from the elements.

Ancient paving.

The main road.

The site may have been occupied from as early as 3000BC. The town itself developed in the period from 1900BC to 1750BC An earthquake destroyed much of the town around 1650BC and it was rebuilt. There was significant destruction by fire around 1450BC at the time of the Mycenaean takeover and not all the town was resettled afterwards. Somewhere between 1350 and 1100BC, another earthquake caused much destruction. The town was partially resettled for a while and then abandoned.

Another section of the main road, which ran for 145 metres through the town.

The town grew to be the second largest in Minoan Crete after Knossos and its layout shows central planning.

Impressively cut large stone blocks at the edge of a road.

Locals removed some of the well-cut stones for their own constructions, not necessarily in recent times.

This is House B in Block Beta (archaeologists give such romantic and imaginative names!) which had 22 rooms and “megalithic” outer walls.

There are some steps from a stairway to an upper level partly obscured in this image but you might be able to make out two just past the square stone block in the middle of the image (Perhaps click on the image for a larger view).

Past the steps and through a doorway is the Hall, a characteristic architectural feature in Palaikastro Minoan Town. Bases of columns were found in each corner and it would have been open to the sky, presumably to let in light and air. Many large ceramic jars were found here. In fact many objects were found in this house, including female clay figurines, the clay head of an ox., large numbers of vases and large jars, at least one elaborately decorated with an octopus.

The town had a higher concentration than usual of religous object but no “palace” has so far been found. The main activities of the town would have been agriculture and trade. Loom weights indicate there was much weaving in the town. There was also manufacture of elite items using imported materials and much pottery making.

This must have been the harbour for the town though I don’t know how much the sea level would have changed and how different it would have looked. For more detail on the Minoan town, see here.

A view of the coast looking south.

This is the Church of Saint John the Theologian (though there are many with that name), on the road between Palaikastro and Zakros, and as the sign behind it indicates, at the turnoff to Theostalos Minoan Sanctuary Peak.