Gortyna was a city on the island of Crete. It is among the list of places where the Romans sent letters (1 Maccabees 15:23). These letters told kings and countries not to harm the Jewish people (15:19).
In early Greek history, Gortyna joined with another city called Knossos to control Crete. However, these two cities soon began fighting each other. When the Romans took control of the area, they made Gortyna the capital city of Crete.
In 1884, researchers found an important discovery in Gortyna. They discovered a set of ancient laws from the fifth century BC called the Gortyna legal code.
Gortyna was near a place called Fair Havens. So, the apostle Paul may have preached the good news about Jesus to the Jewish residents there during his journey to Rome (Acts 27:8–9).