Ierapetra is the southernmost city in Europe (excluding Cyprus) and the fourth-largest city in Crete.

In ancient times, the city was called Hierapytna. The earliest remains of the city date back to the fifth century BC. It was an important Dorian city in eastern Crete. The city of Gortyn surpassed Hierapytna's importance as an independent state when Hierapytna was conquered by the Romans in 67 BC. The city was severely damaged during the Arab conquest in 824 but was subsequently rebuilt. It experienced a new period of prosperity during the Venetian period from the 13th to the 17th centuries.


The Archaeological Collection is housed in the building of an Ottoman School that was built in 1899.

Minoan Larnax

Box-shaped terracotta sarcophagus with saddle shaped lid.
It is decorated with geometric patterns and floral motifs
Late minoan, 1400–1200 BC