Zakros Palace lies near the shore at Kato Zakros, where a sheltered bay connected eastern Crete with Cyprus, Egypt and the Levant. The monumental complex covered about 8,000 square metres and contained central courts, storerooms, workshops, ceremonial rooms and sophisticated water installations. Because its final destruction around 1450 BCE left important storerooms unplundered, excavation recovered unusually coherent groups of objects.
A first palace developed around 1900 BCE and the visible complex was substantially rebuilt in the Neopalatial period. Nikolaos Platon began systematic excavation in 1961 after finds indicated the site’s importance. The surrounding town and cemeteries in the Gorge of the Dead show that the palace was one part of a broader community and landscape.