Concordia CMLL Study Tour

By Clarisse R.-Paquet

Today we spent the day exploring southern Cretan sites, beginning with the tholos Tomb of Kamilari, then moving on to the palace at Phaistos and finishing the day at the ancient city of Gortyn. 

The day started with some quality cat time

The day started strong with a 1.2km walk and hike to the tholos tomb. For an unknown reason we cut across some unsuspecting farmer’s field in order to get to the top where the tomb is located. Personally, morning hikes are not for me but it definitely woke me up and prepared me for the day ahead. The tomb itself is a pretty modest site (with how difficult it is to get to it, I’m not surprised). The walls of the tomb still stand tall and the door leading into the Tholos still allows people to pass through.

The Tholos Tomb at Kamilari

Members of the Concordia Summer Study Tour in the tholos tomb at Kamilari.

Our next stop was the Minoan palace of Phaistos. If I were to rank them, Phaistos is first, followed by Malia, then Gournia and in dead last: Knossos. Phaistos is large and extensive while not catering completely to tourists. The site allows the visitor to freely walk through areas like the storage magazines and the courts but also restricts access to the reception hall and lustral basin. We annoyed a group of elderly French tourists when our group passed by them on a path and their guide remarked that we were “an impatient group”. For the record, there was plenty of space for both their group and ours. The rest of the visit went smoothly and we took a lunch and cat break before leaving the site. Phaistos’ unique stratigraphy allows to visualise the evolution of the site, which is not as obvious at other palaces. Since there are many areas of the palace that are well-preserved, it is easy to imagine how everything must have functioned back in its prime.

Our time at Phaistos came to a close with a lunch break and cat cuddling time. The cats at every site have definitely been a highlight of this trip so far and I hope the trend continues.

The site I found the most interesting today was the Roman city of Gortyn. I have slowly realised my preference for the Hellenistic and Roman periods of Greece over the course of this trip so this was an interesting place to visit. The odeon and its surroundings still stand and the extensive law code columns are preserved behind a locked area. The law code reminded me of the Twelve Tables, the foundation of the Roman law code, and the sheer completeness of the text was pretty amazing to see even though it was behind bars. The text covers laws concerning basic things such as property laws, rights, administration and the oath judges must take. Law codes are insightful ways to learn about the way of life of ancient societies and being able to have such a comprehensive form is incredibly useful.

The Law Code at Gortyn

The Odeon at Gortyn, Henri my plush son

Today was a much more informative day considering yesterday’s events (a very strange encounter, all things considered). The day ended early which allowed us to enjoy the beach and the sun. Matala was very nice and I will miss the beautiful shining blue sea.

The beach at Matala.