Archaeological site of Monastiraki

The archaeological site of Monastiraki is located in the homonymous village in prefecture of Rethymno and approximately 35 km far from the city of Rethymno.

The palace that was excavated at the archaeological site of Monastiraki is considered to be the one that had control over the goods’ trade in central Crete and one of the glebes of the palace of Phaistos.

The research at the archaeological site of Monastiraki was started by the Germans during the World War II and started over in 1980 by the University of Crete and have been going on since.

As it is proved by the excavations at the archaeological site of Monastiraki, the palace was not inhabited on a regular basis and its ancient name remains unknown until today, although some tend to identify it with the Sivritos the Middle Bronze Age.

The palace, that existed where the archaeological site of Monastiraki stands today, had an area of about 300 acres and consisted of warehouses, workshops, houses, ceremonial locations and official apartments. The architecture is generally good and in some places well preserved.

Also, the findings at the archaeological site of Monastiraki include a large number of seals, and jars that were used to store the seasonal products. After a closer study of the seals, archaeologists discovered further details of the administrative system of that time, the economy and the organization of the ancient society.

The palace that was found at the archaeological site of Monastiraki was destroyed by an earthquake and a fire around 1700 century BC

The archaeological site of Monastiraki is easily accessed on foot from the homonymous village or by car from other nearby settlements in the region.