Independent
Nicholas Paphitis
12 June 2024
A huge, round, 4,000-year-old building has left archaeologists puzzled and threats to disrupt a major airport project on a Greek tourist island.
Resembling a huge car wheel from above, the ruins of the labyrinthine, 1,800-square-meter (19,000-square-foot) building came to light during a recent dig by archaeologists.
The site was earmarked for a radar station to serve a new airport under construction near the town of Kastelli. Set to open in 2027, it's projected to replace Greece's second-biggest airport at Heraklion, and designed to handle up to 18 million travelers annually.
Archaeologists don't yet know what the hilltop structure was for. It's still under excavation and has no known Minoan parallels. So for the time being, experts speculate it could have been used for a ritual or religious function.
[Read more: Archaeologists stumped by huge 4,000-year-old Greek round building that could stop an airport | The Independent]
