Inheritance regulations, fragment of the 11th column of the Law Code of Gortyn, Louvre

This article is about the ancient city in Crete; another place with the same name is Gortyna, Arcadia.

Gortyn (Greek Γορτυς/Gortys, also Γόρτυν/Gortun or Γόρτυνα/Gortuna) is an archaeological site in the Greek island of Crete, 45 km away from the capital Heraklion. Gortyn, the Roman capital of Crete, was first inhabited around 3000 B.C., and was a flourishing Minoan town between 1600-1100 B.C. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 728 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2100 × 1730 pixel, file size: 661 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Gortyn Metadata This... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 728 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2100 × 1730 pixel, file size: 661 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Gortyn Metadata This... This article is about the museum: for building history, see Palais du Louvre, for higher education, see École du Louvre. ... Karytaina (Greek: Καρύταινα, also written as Karitena), is a town located in the western part of the prefecture of Arcadia in the central Peloponnese. ... For the famous World War II battle, see: Battle of Crete For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation). ... Heraklion or Iraklion (Greek: Ηράκλειο Italian: Candia), is the largest city and the capital of Crete. ...

History of Gortyn

Whilst its story goes back as far as the Minoan period, one particularly important period was that which followed the occupation of Crete by the Dorians (1100 BC). Later, during the Roman occupation (68 BC), Gortys was the largest city and the Capital of Crete and Northern Africa. The city was destroyed in 828 AD by Arabs. Minoan may refer to the following: The Minoan civilization The (undeciphered) Eteocretan language The (undeciphered) Minoan language The script known as Linear A An old name for the Mycenean language before it was deciphered and discovered to be a form of Greek. ... This article or section should include material from Dorian invasion The Dorians were one of the ancient Hellenic (Greek) races. ... Roman or Romans may refer to: A thing or person of or from the city of Rome. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب ) are an ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ...

One of the many important facts about Gortyn is that it was the first city that accepted Christianity. The first Christian temples were built there and the remains of the biggest and most important Christian cathedral of Crete can still be seen today. The cathedral is dedicated to St. Titus, the first Bishop of Crete (6th century AD). In the Christian New Testament, Titus, (a common Roman name, meaning honourable) was a companion of Paul of Tarsus, mentioned in several of Pauls Epistles, includiing the Epistle to Titus. ...

Monuments in Gortyn

Parts of the Roman settlement, such as the theater (2nd century AD), have been unearthed during excavations. The theatre has two entrances and a halfcircular orchestra the outline of which can still be seen today.

Behind the Roman Theater you can see the so called "Queen of the Inscriptions". These inscriptions are the laws of the city of Gortyn, they are inscribed in the Dorian dialect on large stone slabs and are still plainly visible.

The heart of Roman Gortys, is the Praetorium, the seat of the Roman Governor of Crete. Praetorium was built in the 1st century AD, but it was altered significantly over the next eight centuries. In the same area you will admire the ruins of the Roman baths, as well as the temple of Apollo and the temple of the Egyptian gods. The Praetorium (also called Pilates House) is the place in what is now the Antonia Fortress where Jesus of Nazareth was brought to trial before Pontius Pilate. ...

The Law Code of Gortyn

Among archaeologists, ancient historians, and classicists, Gortyn is primarily known today because of the 1884 discovery of the Gortyn Code which is both the oldest and most complete known example of a code of ancient Greek law. The code was discovered on the site of the Odeon, a structure built by the Roman emperor Trajan, which reused for the second time stones from an inscription-bearing wall that had been incorporated into the foundation of an earlier Hellenistic structure. Today, a modern structure at the site of the mostly ruined Odeon houses the stones bearing the famous law code. Inscription of the Great Code at Gortyn The Gortyn code of law (also called the Great Code[1]) was the codification of the civil law of the ancient Greek city state of Gortyn, southern Crete. ... Ancient Greek law is a branch of comparative jurisprudence relating to the laws and legal institutions of Ancient Greece. ...

The Myth of Zeus and Europe

Greek mythology has it that Gortyn witnessed one of Zeus' many affairs — with the princess Europa, from whom the name of the continent Europe has ultimately been taken. Zeus, disguised as a bull, abducted Europa from Lebanon and they had an affair under a plane tree (platanos), a tree that may be still be seen today in Gortys. Following this affair three boys were born and they later became the kings of the three Minoan Palaces in Crete. The mention of Europa in this myth gives weight to the claim that the civilization of the European continent was born on the island of Crete. Europa is the name of : Europe, the continent, in most European languages (most Germanic languages, Latin and some Romance languages, and some Slavic Languages) Europa (mythology), a beautiful Phoenician princess in Greek mythology Europa (moon), the smallest of the Galilean moons of planet Jupiter Europa, a small island in the... The Statue of Zeus at Olympia Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall statue of Zeus at Olympia about 435 BC. The statue was perhaps the most famous sculpture in Ancient Greece, imagined here in a 16th century engraving Zeus (in Greek: nominative: Zeús, genitive: Diós), is...

External links

• Gortyn or Gortys
• Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: The Law Code of Gortyn (Crete)
• Photos of Gortyn
• Gortyna. Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved on February 18, 2007.

Coordinates: 35°04′N, 24°56′E The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by The Encyclopedia Press. ... February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...