The Crime of Crete

 It IS a Fake

The island of Crete is associated with the Minoan civilization, but it is also the home of one of the great hoaxes of the 20th century -   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaistos_Disc - in my opinion.

Why do I think it is fake when many educated people consider it as authentic?

Disregarding the fact the finder of the disc was a friend of Luigi Pernier, a man known with his son to be associated with other forged items.

The plate was "supposedly" found beneath an arch after an earthquake despite falling from over 10 feet the clay plate is undamaged.

The item is perfectly circular with a flat base, indicating it was made on a potter's wheel.

Since its "discovery" in 1908, experts in the Minoan civilization have studied the plate, and have not been able to decipher the writing or pictures on the disc.

Then, despite many requests, the government in Crete keeps denying having the plate dated by reliable scientific means, which could substantiate the authenticity of the plate's age.

I do not profess to be an expert, but ignoring the links to a known forger, the circumstances of the discovery, and the denial to have the item professionally dated would point to it being a fake.

I see one reason for the denial to have the plate dated, if it is a forgery the news would not only bring doubts about other items found on Crete, but it would impact the tourism trade of the island.

Though not an excuse, the reader should know that at this time there was a surge in interest in archeology, but unless you found something important you would not get the funds for the next dig.