Ancient Zominthos, a religious and administrative centre of the 2nd millennium B.C., is located 7 km away of Anogia village. With 1,200 m. altitude, Zominthos is the only mountaintop Minoan settlement. It is built on the intermediate area of the ancient route from the Palace at Knossos to the sacred Ideon Cave, where many believe the legendary god Zeus was born and raised. It is believed that pilgrims, who follow this religious route, were the initial constructors of the city. Settlement’s position was the connection with two other important Minoan centers, Tylissos and Sklavokampos.
The discovery of the city was almost accidental, as Yannis Sakellarakis, archaeologist and main excavator of Zominthos, claimed. He heard the name "Zominthos" from a local shepherd and as he mentioned "It sounded too pre-Hellenic to be ignored".
The luxurious central building, which covers an area of 1600 sq. m., was built of local grey stone and consisted of no less than 80 rooms. The walls were decorated with murals. It was probably destroyed around 1350 BC by massive earthquakes. However, the area was inhabited by subsequent historic periods until Roman area. It is possible that the rich grazing lands of Zominthos have been mentioned in the Linear B tablets found at Knossos since some of these tablets contain lists of flocks and grazing areas. Amongst the site's discoveries, there are water pipes, attesting to the probability of a drainage system, as well as a ceramic workshop. Also numerous bronze, bone, ivory jewelries and bronze figurines have been found.
