The Archaeological Museum of Heraklion on Crete is one of the largest and most remarkable museums in Greece and one of the most important museums in Europe. Its exhibits include representative samples from all periods of Cretan prehistory and history, covering over 5,500 years from the Neolithic Age to Roman times. However, the unique masterpieces of Minoan art, which can be admired in all its developments, hold a dominant position among all of the exhibits. The collection of Minoan antiquities is the largest in the world and the museum is fairly considered the pre-eminent museum of Minoan civilization.

The building that houses the Archaeological Museum is located in the city center, which was constructed between 1937 and 1940, was designed from the architect Patroklos Karantinou and it is an important example of the modern architectural movement in Greece, with a winning Bauhaus praise. The colors and materials, like the polychrome marbles, recall paintings that imitate revetments of Minoan buildings.

Besides the extraordinary beauty and excavated findings of historical importance, some of the most important exhibits include Phaistos Disk (17th century BC), the mural of the Prince of Lilies ,a  fresco of bull-leaping (athletes performing jumps on the back of a bull) and an oversized model with majestic and labyrinthine multi-storey palaces of Knossos. Also, a special place in the Archaeological Museum has a number of utilitarian vessels related to the culture of gastronomy.

Translated from Huffingtonpost.gr