Gortyn
Γόρτυνα | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 35°03′47″N 24°56′49″E / 35.0631°N 24.9469°E | |
Country | Greece |
Administrative region | Crete |
Regional unit | Heraklion |
Area | |
• Municipality | 464.8 km2 (179.5 sq mi) |
• Municipal unit | 158.3 km2 (61.1 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[1] | |
• Municipality | 14,167 |
• Density | 30/km2 (79/sq mi) |
• Municipal unit | 4,137 |
• Municipal unit density | 26/km2 (68/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Gortyn, Gortys or Gortyna (Greek: Γόρτυν, Γόρτυς, or Γόρτυνα, pronounced [ˈɣortina]) is a municipality, and an archaeological site, on the Mediterranean island of Crete 45 km (28 mi) away from the island's capital, Heraklion. The seat of the municipality is the village Agioi Deka.[2] Gortyn was the Roman capital of Creta et Cyrenaica. The area was first inhabited around 7000 BC.
It is located in the valley of Messara in the south of the Psiloritis mountain, in the current position of the settlements of Metropolis and Agioi Deka, and near the Libyan Sea.