The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is pleased to announce the extension of the temporary exhibition “EKATOPOLIS – The World of Archaic Crete”, hosted in the Museum’s Temporary Exhibitions Hall, at the corner of Doukos Bofor and Chatzidakis streets.

The exhibition, which has received strong public interest and attention from the academic community, will now run until March 15, 2026, giving more visitors—and school groups—the chance to explore it.

The title “EKATOPOLIS” draws its inspiration from Homer, who describes Crete in the Iliad as the “island of a hundred cities.” The exhibition seeks to convey the diversity, vitality and influence of archaic Cretan cities, showcased through an impressive selection of around 350 archaeological finds.

Among them are objects displayed for the first time, as well as notable loans from other museums in Greece. Standouts include Cretan works from Samos and Delphi, now being shown in Heraklion for the first time.

A special highlight of the exhibition is the striking discoveries from the cemetery of Phaleron, including three mass burials of executed prisoners, shedding light on the complex relationships between city, law, and power.

The exhibition presents Crete as a bridge between the world of myth and unwritten clan law and the emerging written legislation of the city-states, illustrating a cultural and political transformation that shaped the island’s history and left a deep mark on the formation of the Greek world.

📍 Location: Temporary Exhibitions Hall, Heraklion Archaeological Museum
📅 Exhibition duration: Until March 15, 2026