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Gortys (which had sided with Rome) became capital of the province of Crete and Cyrene (modern Libya).

On the southeast side of the square, the former Venetian Cathedral of San Marco, dedicated to Venice’s patron saint, became a mosque and is now an exhibition centre and conference hall. Leave the square by 25 Augoustou and walk past the Loggia. If this Venetian town hall looks suspiciously modern, blame restoration after earthquake and bomb damage.

Crete’s most spectacular cave, crammed with strange rock formations deep beneath the Idi range.

This is one of Crete’s largest caves. It was first dedicated to virgin goddess Britomartis and later became a sanctuary to Artemis.

According to myth, Zeus created the bronze giant to defend Crete. It patrolled the coasts, hurling huge boulders to sink vessels that came too close. Talos was finally slain by Jason, with the aid of the sorceress Medea, who pointed out the giant’s only weak spot, a vein near its ankle.

Zeus was the sixth child of the Titan Kronos, who had devoured his other children to prevent them from overthrowing him as he had overthrown his own father, Uranus, ruler of the old gods. Born in the Diktian Cave in Crete, Zeus was hidden by his mother Rhea and raised in the Idaian Cave on Mount Idi. Zeus eventually poisoned Kronos, making him regurgitate his siblings, who overthrew the Titans to become the new gods and goddesses.

A fictional retelling of the ancient legend of Theseus, Minos and the Minotaur.

Lear’s illustrated diary of a journey to Crete in 1864.

Dorian Greeks from northern Greece arrived in the 12th century BC, driving the descendants of the Minoans into remote areas.