Heraklion Archaeological Museum

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is in the centre of Heraklion, Crete, near Eleftherias Square, and holds the most important collection of Minoan art in the world. The present building was designed by the architect Patroklos Karantinos and completed in 1940, in a modernist style built to resist earthquakes, replacing an earlier museum of the Cretan Archaeological Society. The collection covers about 5,500 years, from the Neolithic period to the Roman era, but the Minoan civilisation of about 3000-1100 BC is the focus.

The galleries are arranged chronologically, beginning with the Neolithic and Prepalatial periods and moving through the Old Palace and New Palace eras to the post-palatial and later periods. Highlights include the Phaistos Disc, a clay disc of the 2nd millennium BC stamped with undeciphered symbols, and the Bull-Leaping Fresco from Knossos. The Snake Goddess figurines in faience, the gold Bee Pendant from the cemetery at Chrysolakkos in Malia, the Bull's Head rhyton in black steatite and the Harvester Vase from Agia Triada show the refined craftsmanship of Minoan artists. Frescoes from Knossos, including the Prince of the Lilies and the Ladies in Blue, are displayed in a gallery of their own. The museum also holds Linear A and Linear B tablets, Minoan pottery in the Kamares style, and sarcophagi, notably the painted Agia Triada sarcophagus.

The museum underwent a long renovation, with the building closed in 2006 and reopened in stages and fully in 2014. The new displays integrate modern lighting, labels and conservation facilities. Interpretation uses Greek and English labels, supported by audio guides, and the layout allows visitors to follow the palatial story from Knossos, Phaistos, Malia and Zakros. It is best visited alongside the Palace of Knossos, ideally before the site to understand what the ruins held. A thorough visit takes two to three hours.