The ancient city of Gortyna covers an area of approximately 400 hectares (4,000 stremmata), extending from the hills of Agios Ioannis, Volakas, and Profitis Ilias to the villages of Agioi Deka and Mitropolis. The area has been inhabited since the Neolithic period, while archaeological finds also attest to occupation during the Minoan era. At the site of Kania, a Late Minoan rural villa has been excavated. During the Geometric Period (1100–700 BC), the city developed on the acropolis. In the Archaic and Classical periods (700–300 BC), it expanded into the plain, where important monuments were constructed, including the Assembly Hall (Ecclesiasterion) and the Great Inscription containing the famous Law Code of Gortyn. During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Gortyna became one of the most important cities of Crete. Following the Roman conquest, it served as the capital of the Roman province of Crete and Cyrenaica. In the Early Byzantine period, the urban center shifted to the area of the present-day village of Mitropolis, and the city eventually fell into decline after the Arab conquest.
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