20 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Gate sanctuary discovered during the excavation of Archanes palace in Crete, belonging to the oldest civilisation in Europe

Recent excavations at the Archanes Minoan palace in Crete, belonging to the oldest civilisation in Europe, have revealed an important and rare discovery: A gate sanctuary found at the Minoan palace of Archanes.

The Minoan city of Archanes and palace complex, built around 1900 BC, lies in a small closed valley, 15 km south of Knossos palace. The site was discovered in the 1960s.

“Archaeologist Dr Efi Sapouna-Sakellarakis continued the archaeological research to complete the image of the three-storey building, which along with Knossos [the biggest Minoan palace on Crete], played an important role in the development of the Minoan civilization,” the Greek Ministry of Culture said on October 23.

An element discovered for the first time in a Minoan palace, a Portico Sanctuary or sacred gate, has been revealed as a result of this inquiry, which aims to increase our understanding of this three-story structure that was crucial to the growth of Minoan civilization.

The four altars and two arms of a stone platform that accompany this sanctuary, which sits beyond the palace’s main entrance, are striking features that highlight the site’s religious significance.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Representation of the entrance of the palace of Archanes with the altars. Image Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture
Representation of the entrance of the palace of Archanes with the altars. Image Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture

Alongside this discovery, a pyramidal base was also discovered during recent digs on the same platform, which adds to a double-axe base discovered during an earlier study. Although it is only partially maintained on one of the platform’s western arms, a third base is theoretically possible. These findings are a continuation of the work Dr. Sapouna-Sakellarakis has carried out for decades, building upon the original research of archaeologist Giannis Sakellarakis in the 1960s.

Clarifying some of the complex’s architectural remnants was one of the primary objectives of this excavation season, but the results have beyond expectations. In the southern section of the site, an area of 96 square meters was excavated in a courtyard located south of the entrance with the aforementioned altars.

The excavation’s high point occurred when the altars and the stone construction’s arms were revealed to form a Sacred Gate at the palace’s entrance. These altars had been found in earlier seasons; one of which is large and elongated, while the other is stepped.

Drawing of the south entrance of the palace with two bases for double axes. Image Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture
Drawing of the south entrance of the palace with two bases for double axes. Image Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture

Sanctuary at entrances were common in Minoan Crete, as evidenced by other discoveries honoring local deities. One of the most well-known examples is the cult of Eileithyia Prothyraia, a Cretan goddess who guarded thresholds and represented the connection between sacred and profane ground.

The discovery sheds light on the spiritual practices and architectural advancements of the Minoan culture.

Greek Ministry of Culture

Cover Image Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture

Related Articles

A Monument complex and inscription belonging to Ilteris Kutlug Kagan, the founder of the Eastern Göktürk Khanate, were found

24 August 2022

24 August 2022

A Turkish inscription of İlteriş Kutlug Kağan was found during the joint scientific archaeological expedition of the International Turkic Academy...

Researchers may have found 3,000-year-old evidence of Yue (Amputation), one of the five punishments practiced in ancient China

4 May 2022

4 May 2022

According to the South China Morning Post, researchers in China believe a skeleton discovered in a tomb in the country’s...

A 2000-year-old bronze military diploma was discovered in Turkey’s Perre ancient city

2 January 2022

2 January 2022

During excavations in the ancient city of Perre, located in the southeastern Turkish province of Adiyaman, archaeologists uncovered a bronze...

The place of Puduhepa’s hometown Lawazantiya will be illuminated with Tatarlı Höyük

9 November 2021

9 November 2021

Excavations at Tatarlı Höyük (mound) are trying to reach findings that will enable the determination of the location of Lawazantiya,...

Most important Discovery in New Zealand Archaeology: Ocean Waka

5 March 2025

5 March 2025

What began as a routine search for wood by Vincent and Nikau Dix on Rēkohu (Chatham Islands) has led to...

The oldest grave in northern Germany 10,500 years old

14 October 2022

14 October 2022

Archaeologists have discovered the oldest known human remains in northern Germany in a 10,500-year-old cremation grave in Lüchow, Schleswig-Holstein. The...

A 2,100-Year-Old Marble Statue of Mother Goddess Cybele Discovered in Ordu’s Ancient Kurul Castle

7 March 2025

7 March 2025

A breathtaking statue of the Mother Goddess Cybele, dating back 2100 years, was found at the historic Kurul Castle in...

Evidence of Medieval Scotland in Inverness revealed by building work

19 June 2021

19 June 2021

Archaeologists in Scotland have discovered medieval remains during excavations for construction work, and they are exposing mysteries about the industrial...

Prehistoric Settlement Unearthed in Ogovo: Remarkable New Archaeological Discoveries in Belarus

14 August 2025

14 August 2025

Recent archaeological research in Belarus has unveiled insights into the country’s prehistoric past. A series of excavations and underwater studies,...

A fossilized Neanderthal skeleton unearthed in France may have belonged to a previously undescribed lineage that split from other Neanderthals

12 September 2024

12 September 2024

The fossilized Neanderthal skeleton, discovered in a cave system in the Rhône Valley of France, represents a previously unidentified lineage...

The excavations in ancient city of Aizanoi discovered the statue heads of Dionysus and Aphrodite

11 December 2023

11 December 2023

The heads of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, and Dionysus, the god of wine, were found in Aizanoi,...

Viking Dentistry Was Surprisingly Advanced And Not Unlike Today’s Treatments

15 December 2023

15 December 2023

Viking Age teeth at Varnhem indicate surprisingly advanced dentistry, according to the results of a study conducted at the University...

The 1,800-year-old ‘Iron Legion’ Roman Legionary Base uncovered at the foot of Tel Megiddo

14 February 2024

14 February 2024

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced that a recent excavation at the foot of Tel Megiddo, near the ancient village...

New Dead Sea Scrolls in The Horror Cave

16 March 2021

16 March 2021

On Tuesday, Israeli archaeologists revealed dozens of recently discovered fragments of Bible text, the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were based...

Remains of ‘female vampire’ found with sickle across her neck and a padlocked toe in Poland

2 September 2022

2 September 2022

A skeleton of what archaeologists believe may have been a 17th-century female vampire has been discovered near Bydgoszcz in Poland....