This is the second largest Minoan city, organized with a palace, districts and cemeteries. During the Minoan times it was the center of all of central and southern Crete and its influence reached to the former provinces of Amari and St.Basil. It covers an area of 18,000 m2 in which there are many ruins from the times of Neolithic habitation by several palatial periods. In 1900 BC the first palace was built and was destroyed by an earthquake around 1700 BC. In 1400 BC the second palace was built on the ruins of the first and was also probably destroyed by an earthquake or intruders. At this area was the famous Faistos disk discovered. It is a clay disk, engraved with 241 text symbols into spirals and still has not been read by the archaeologists, on both sides.
