The topographical location of rural sanctuaries and their relationship to contemporary settlements are key elements to better understand a past landscape. This is in particular true for Minoan peak sanctuaries and the so-called palaces of Crete.
A number of analyses have been performed resulting in a much more detailed knowledge of the spatial characteristics of these archaeological sites. We now have statistical information on the geology, land use, land capability, elevation, slope, orientation and visibility for all of these sites.
Hypothetical territories for the central places of power were created by the application of the most commonly used models, amongst which Thiessen polygons, Cost Surface Analysis, and the Xtent model.
These analyses have as main purposes, to reinterpret the development of the Minoan landscape and the place of archaeological features in it, to put emphasis on the importance of peak sanctuaries in this landscape as essential components in the development of Minoan 'palatial' culture, and to predict hypothetical unknown peak sanctuaries.
Key words: Minoan, Sanctuary, GIS, Landscape, Crete