Kommos is situated on the shores of the Libyan Sea, which borders the western area of the Mesara, the largest plain in Crete. It first attracted the attention of archaeologists in 1924, when Arthur Evans heard of large storage vessels from the site and speculated about the existence of a Bronze Age “Customs House” there. Joseph and Maria Shaw’s excavations, since 1976, have borne out Evans’s suppositions regarding the commercial nature of the site. After 25 years of digging, Kommos is revealed as a major harbour, with monumental Minoan palatial buildings, stone storage complexes, and a Minoan town (ca. 1800-1200 B.C.).