New findings from excavations in Zominthos on the island of Crete confirm that it was a palace of similar luxury to those of the famous sites of Knossos and Phaistos.

This unique Minoan mountain palace center operated continuously for centuries at the same strategic point and was a major religious, political, productive and economic center.

Zominthos is on a small plateau at an altitude of 1200 meters in the northern foothills of Mount Ida, roughly 7.5 kilometers west of the village of Anogia. It is situated on the path from Knossos to Idaion Antron, the great sanctuary cave near the peak of Ida. The palace of the older complex on the site dates to 1900-1700 BC.

Read about Zominthos, and what the archeologists had to say about the finds last year, here, and follow the progress of the dig interactively, week by week, here.

This article was previously published at ekathimerini.com.