(This post may be a bit long for some email software, so if you don’t see “Next stop: Chania” at the bottom of your email, you’ll need to click on the title to go to the website and see the full post).
We jumped on a bus and took a ride to Heraklion (Iraklio) to check it out and to visit the archaeological museum there. Its a big, busy place with lots of tourists. There’s also a Venetian era fortress down at the harbour.
We found the museum really interesting and learnt a lot about the Minoans. If museums aren’t your thing, sorry! 😅🤪
Archeological Museum of Heraklion
It was fairly pricey to get into this museum, so we figured it must be pretty good - it didn’t disappoint. This museum is full of a lot of really good quality artefacts, lots of Minoan stuff, and lots from archeological sites we have already visited.
As you enter the museum, there’s a QR code to download an app that gives you loads of info and audio guides. It also can sense when you are near a popular exhibit and lets you know. So, buckle up - there’s loads of information to follow that I’ve lifted directly from the museum app! If it’s not your thing, just check out the photos and scroll to the bottom to see Heraklion harbour and Venetian port.
Koumasa. 2700 - 2400 BC. Marble figurines are characteristic creations of Cycladic culture in the 3rd millennium BC. This figurine from Koumasa in the Mesara is imported from the Cyclades. It represents a standing, naked female figure with arms folded under the chest, the swollen belly indicating pregnancy. The chest, arms, toes and genitals are rendered by incisions. There are also faint traces of paint on the face, indicating that the eyes and mouth were painted.
Stone-carvers made the first vessels of soft stone, using simple tools such as chisels, polishers and obsidian blades. The improved tool technology available after the middle of the 3rd millennium BC permitted the use of harder stones and the creation of new shapes. The rich deposits of colourful stones were put to creative use by local craftsmen, producing impressive objects. (They later changed to pottery as it was much easier and faster to make. It didn’t have the lovely patterns that this has, so they had to paint it instead I spose? 🤔)
Items from 5900-3000 BC. On the left, 7900 year old stone axes. On the right is 7900 year old weaving utensils. All found at Knossos.
Clay figurine of a squatting woman. The prominent breasts and fleshy buttocks are associated with fertility. 5300-3000 BC.
Marble tigurine of a standing male. The material and the naturalistic rendering ot the anatomical details are unusual for the period. Knossos, 0500-5900 BC.
This was so small that we couldn’t get a good photo of it. It is a microscopic (about the size of a small fingernail) gold pendant in the shape of a crouching frog is thought to be the earliest piece of goldwork carved in the round in Prepalatial Crete. It is clearly meant to be a pendant, as it has a lengthwise hole for a very fine thread. It may have been used as an amulet, like the frog amulets of Pharaonic Egypt, where the frog, as the animal form of the fertility goddess Heqah, symbolised rebirth. This ornament is the work of an exceptionally skilled master craftsman, as the details show. It is decorated using the specialised granulation technique, in which tiny gold balls are made and attached to the very small surface area. As we can see from this ornament and other gold decorative objects on display, Cretan goldsmiths were already highly skilled by the end of the 3rd millennium BC.
Clay kantharos, imitating a metal vessel, with carinated body and fluted rim. Similar cuplets are affixed inside. (I’m not sure why those cuplets are inside … anyone have any ideas?).1900-1800 BC.
The famous Gold bee pendant. Malia, Chrysolakkos. 1800 - 1700 BC. This pendant in the shape of two bees facing each other is a masterpiece of Minoan miniature art, combining different techniques. It was found in the cemetery of Chrysolakkos at Malia and is dated to around 1800 BC. It depicts two bees with open wings facing each other, joined at the head and stinger. They are holding a disc between them, probably a honeycomb, while the round object in their mouths is thought to be a drop of honey. The discs hanging from the joined stingers and the wings are decorative elements, as is the tiny cage containing a loose bead on the insects' heads. The back of the ornament is a flat of gold sheet. It has been skilfully made using four different techniques: filigree, granulation, repoussé and incised decoration. The use of gold, a valuable material, and the technical and aesthetic quality of the pendant are evidence of the prosperity of the ruling class in Minoan Crete during the period of the First Palaces. The pendant is a condensed depiction of honey production. Honey and wax were important elements of the Minoan economy, as demonstrated by other relevant finds and laboratory analyses of organic residues. Bees also appear to have played an important part in Minoan religious ideology, as symbols of fertility and rebirth.
We found the original inspiration for the way Gary Larson illustrates cows.
Clay figurines, Petsophas Peak Sanctuary 1900 - 1700 ВС. Small clay figurines of men and women were very common votive offerings at the so-called "peak sanctuaries", meaning sanctuaries that were founded on hills and mountains and were active during the Protopalatial and Neopalatial periods. One such sanctuary stood on the hill of Petsophas in East Crete, where this group comes from. Figurines of men, women, farm animals like sheep and oxen, and other creatures such as weasels and birds, were placed in cracks in the rocks of the hill, as offerings by Minoans seeking the help and protection of the gods for themselves and their animals. There were also models of human arms and legs, some of them clearly diseased, presumably offerings made by sick people in search of healing and relief. The standing male figurine has bent arms with hands to chest in a characteristic gesture probably indicating prayer. The face is coarsely rendered by pinching the wet clay with the fingers, while the hair and some details of the clothing, such as the loincloth and the end of the knotted belt with the dagger, are applied. We see that in spite of the small scale, the dagger is faithfully rendered in detail, with the hilt and the two rivets securing it. The figurine was painted reddish-brown. The female figure has her arms extended and is strikingly dressed in a tight bodice, a belt, a long skirt and a tall hat. The bell-shaped skirt, which is hollow inside, also forms the base of the figurine. The figurine is painted black, while details of the clothing and the hat are picked out in white and red paint. Female figurines of this type are impressively varied in the features of the head, especially hats and hairstyles. The many figurines displayed in the Museum are only a small part of the assemblages found at the Cretan peak sanctuaries. They do, however, give a vivid, representative picture of the worshippers, who gathered in large numbers at the festivals held at these mountain sanctuaries. The offerings are direct and moving evidence of their beliefs and needs, like the votives offered at Christian churches by the faithful today.
Long spouted tea pots were all the rage back in … (checks notes ..) 2300-1900 BC.
Fourteen-sided prism seal 2000-1900 BC. Seals were used for accounting purposes, to control the production and distribution of goods and to certify transactions. This multi-sided bone seal was a funerary offering found in Burial Building 6 at Archanes Phourni. It is an impressive example of the so-called "Archanes Script", a writing system with pictorial elements found on seals and sealings in Crete in the early centuries of the 2nd millennium BC. The uniqueness of this seal lies in the fact that it has fourteen sealing surfaces, two of them bearing incised signs of the Archanes Script. These signs are also found in the Minoan scripts developed in the following period, Cretan Hieroglyphic and Linear A. One of the signs is the double axe, a diachronic symbol of the Minoan civilisation with ideological significance. The other sealing surfaces depict pictorial images, such as a human figure holding a basket, a leg, or various animals, which may also have been writing signs. The "Archanes Script” was first identified on seals from the cemetery of Archanes Phourni, but it has also been found in other parts of the island. The survival of Archanes Script signs in Cretan Hieroglyphic and Linear A is the strongest evidence in support of the view that the two main Minoan scripts of the Protopalatial period arose from a common ancestral writing system.
Seals - there are loads of these all through the museum of different shapes and sizes. Some are simple shapes and patterns. Other have multiple seals on each one, and some you roll to get a long image.
Bronze dagger with gold-covered openwork hilt. Malia. Houses west of the Palace. 1800 - 1700 BC. The luxury swords and daggers found at Malia were mainly intended as display objects rather than weapons for actual use. Their elaborate manufacture, often combining precious materials such as gold and ivory, and the impressive decoration of the hilt and bronze blade made these emblems of status, rank and authority for the members of the palatial hierarchy. The bronze dagger in the display case is a typical example. It is a short sword with elaborate decoration revealing the skill and ingenuity of the Minoan artisan. The wooden hilt, which is not preserved, was covered with openwork gold foil. The circular holes probably contained multicoloured insets. Traces of gold foil are preserved running down the centre of the blade, while gold rings adorned the two central rivets of the four attaching the hilt. This type of decoration is thought to echo Egyptian influences. This dagger, which was found with other weapons in Quartier Mu in Malia, is the earliest known example of a sword with gold and inlaid decoration. Such elaborate luxury daggers clearly stated their owner's place in the family and the community. They were symbols of status and authority for their owners, while they may also have served a ceremonial purpose in religious rituals.
Elaborate "teapot". Herbs were placed on the strainer and hot water was poured over them into the vessel to prepare the herb tea.
Clay round offering table with the representation of a goddess between two priestesses. 1800-1700 BC. Quite a different style to most other pieces and looks like the sort of thing you could find in the shops today.
Stone utensils for multiple offerings. I wonder how they made these? 🤔 I’m guessing some sort of round grinding device that is twirled in a circular motion? Like a drill?
Minoan espresso and coffee cups of various sizes. 1800-1700 BC.
The impressive vessels found in the same room of the Phaistos palace are excellent examples of the so-called Kamares ware, a colourful decorative style that characterises palatial ceramic production during the period of the First Palaces. The painted decoration of these vases shows similarities in terms of motifs (chequerboard, spirals, schematic representation of rocks), probably because the vases are products of the same workshop, perhaps a custom-made 'dinner set' for ostentatious use at banquets and ceremonies of the ruling class of the Phaistos community. Among the vessels, the large crater with the high foot stands out, which can be interpreted as a vessel for mixing and drinking wine in large quantities. The offering of wine to the deity and the group consumption of wine in banquets seem to have been practices that were central to secular and religious rituals in the communities of prehistoric Crete. One can reasonably imagine the euphoria that prevailed at the banquets of the ruling class (and not only) due to the consumption of wine, a feeling that is exacerbated by the visual stimulus of the decoration of the vessels, with spirals in vivid movement and swirling, and the intensity of the polychromy that characterises the vessels of the Kamares ware. In this particular case, the luxurious 'dinner set' of the Phaistos palace rivals the vessels used at the same time in Knossos for similar symposium ceremonies. We can perhaps discern through these luxurious vessels a demonstration of the power of the palace ruling class and an attempt at cohesion of the local communities through the magnificent banquets, in an era of competition that would lead to the emergence of Knossos as the first power on the island during the next period of the New Palaces. 1800-1700 BC.
The house model from Archanes. Clay three-dimensional model of a house with a balcony. The building presents the main features of Minoan architecture, such as the ashlar walls, windows with partitions, the inner corridor, a central room with a column and a columned light well. An ascending ramp leads to a columned balcony with a balustrade on which a female figure originally stood. The shelter is a modern reconstruction. Archanes, 1700 BC.
The "Town Mosaic". Palace of Knossos. 1700-1600 BC. The Town Mosaic, as the excavator Sir Arthur Evans named it, is a unique group of faience plaques discovered in the Palace of Knossos in 1902. Most of the plaques depict façades of two- or three-storey buildings, although there are also fragments with plant motifs, animals, water, male figures - perhaps warriors with bow and spear - and also heads and body parts. The plaques were found scattered in a layer of fill dated around 1700 BC, so we do not know their original location and purpose. They may have been decorative insets from a wooden object, perhaps a chest, like the faience plaques from the Temple Repositories, also from the Palace of Knossos. Although their original arrangement is unknown, it is reasonable to suppose that they depicted a Minoan city, perhaps on the sea, with some of its inhabitants and the surrounding landscape. The proposed reconstruction is mainly based on the iconographic depictions, the conventions of scale and perspective, and the architecture of the Neopalatial period. Arthur Evans proposed that the Town Mosaic might depict a siege scene, similar to that seen on a silver vase from Mycenae. Towns with buildings like those of the Town Mosaic are also found on a clay sealing from Chania and in the miniature frescoes from Akrotiri Thera on Santorini and Ayia Irini on the island of Kea. In spite of their small size, and regardless of their original arrangement, the plaques offer important information on the architecture of Minoan Crete. The structural elements of the multi-storey houses, the doors and windows, the rectangular ashlars and the wooden beams, are painted on the façades. Similarities to the architectural and structural elements of the buildings of the Town Mosaic are also found in three-dimensional clay model houses from Knossos and Archanes. (We overheard a guide telling someone that these included depictions of 6 story houses, but I’m not so sure. 🤔)
The "Draughtboard". Luxury gaming board. Palace of Knossos. 1700-1450 BC. The striking "draughtboard" found in the Palace of Knossos is a gaming board made of precious materials. The surface is formed of inlaid elements set into a rectangular base, probably of wood, which has not been preserved. The frame of the board is made of ivory plated with gold leaf and decorated with carved rosettes with rock-crystal insets in their centres. The surface consists of rock-crystal plaques set into blue glass paste and silver foil, separated by ivory insets. Four conical ivory objects, found just a few metres from the rest of the game, were probably the gaming pieces, as we see from their size, exactly matching the four large circles on the board. Similar games have been found in Egypt and the Near East, but none is as large and elaborate as the Knossos draughtboard. Unfortunately, we do not know exactly how it was played or if it had some special symbolism beyond the game. Arthur Evans thought it might be a strategy board game for two players. In any case, its luxuriousness highlights the wealth of the Palace of Knossos, the high living standards of its inhabitants and the artistic skill of the palace workshops.
Bronze banqueting vessels. Malia, 1600-1450 BC.
Double jug - really not sure what these are for, but it does show some skills. 1500-1450 BC.
Stone jug with decoration imitating basketry, Knossos palace, 1600-1450 BC.
Marine Style flask (Round one on the right). Palaikastro, 1500 - 1450 BC. The flask from Palaikastro is one of the most iconic vases of the Marine Style and a masterpiece of the Minoan potter's art during the New Palace period, around the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. It is decorated with large octopuses which are depicted frontally but appear to be swimming diagonally, their writhing tentacles covering the whole surface of the flask. Among the tentacles are themes denoting the seabed, such as sea urchins, tritons and small rocks with seaweed. The style is reminiscent of the monumental fresco paintings and gives a clear sense of "horror vacui" or "fear of empty space", meaning that the whole surface is filled with details. The exceptional naturalistic conception is typical of the vase painter, named the "Marine Style Master" , to whom a stirrup jar from Gournia with similar decoration is also attributed. The Marine Style is one of the styles that make up the "Special Palatial Tradition", the ceramic production of the New Palaces. In the case of the Marine Style, the decorative motifs are not just aesthetically pleasing but also carry symbolic meaning. It is clear that, in the art of this period, the marine world is emphatically presented as a reference point in both the daily life and religious beliefs of the Minoans.
Another marine style octopus 🐙 jug. 1600-1450 BC.
Miniature art. During the Neopalatial period, Minoan artists specialised in miniature art, producing works in gold and silver, ivory plaques and mould-cast inlays in vitreous materials such as faience and glass paste. Their repertoire usually includes motifs from the worlds of land, sea and sky, and sacred symbols such as the double axe and sacral knot.
More fine workmanship in the form of miniature art.
Pyramidal porphyry weight of 29 kg with relief octopus and attachment hole. It was probably used for measuring and certifying the corresponding weight of standardised copper ingots. Knossos-palace, 1500-1450 BC.
It’s BBQ time! 1600-1500 BC.
The Bull-Leaping Fresco. Palace of Knossos. 1450 - 1400 BC. This fresco is the best preserved of at least four paintings depicting the same subject, which were found in the East Wing of the Palace of Knossos and adorned a room on the upper floor. Their theme is bull-leaping, an acrobatic sport involving bulls. Most scholars believe that the numerous depictions of the sport in frescoes, seals, figurines and other objects indicate that bull-leaping was a real event, rather than just a depiction of a myth. Men and women, rendered in red and white respectively, executed athletic leaps over charging bulls, an extremely risky enterprise demonstrating their acrobatic skill and daring. The sequence of movements from the ground to the back of the bull and landing on the ground again has formed the subject of many studies, with contradictory conclusions. The bull, either as an individual animal or in bull-leaping and hunting scenes, was one of the most popular subjects in Minoan art. As a symbol of strength and fertility, it is particularly associated with the Palace of Knossos, and is a pictorial element indicating Knossian authority and religious ideology.
Wine press, probably from that wine making house in Gournia that Captain Stavros showed us in the video on Gournia. Wine played an important role in religious, economic and social life. Stacks of cups from various Neopalatial sites bear witness to communal wine-drinking events, reminiscent of a modern Cretan festival. Further evidence of wine consumption is provided by paleobotanical remains, the wine ideogram on Linear A tablets, and the large numbers of storage, pouring and drinking vessels. Wine-making is directly attested by wine presses, clay vessels for treading grapes and collecting the must. They consist of a clay basin with a spout at the base, and a collector placed below the basin. The way in which the wine press was used is depicted on a seal from Malia (1800-1700 BC), showing a grape-treader. Wine presses, with either moveable clay vessels or built vats fixed in place, have been found at various sites, including Vathypetro, Tylissos, Gournia and Zakros.
Really large bronze couldrons. 1600-1500 BC.
The original “circle of friends” that were so trendy recently? Clay model depicting women dancing in a circle to the accompaniment of a lyre held by a woman. Palaikastro, 1350 BC.
Gold ring with spiral Linear A inscription. Knossos, Mavrospelio. 1700-1600 BC. This elegant gold ring was a funerary offering accompanying a high-status burial in the Mavrospelio Cemetery near Knossos. This is a unique find, because it bears a spiral incised inscription in Linear A, a script that has not yet been deciphered. The arrangement of the inscription is comparable to that of the Phaistos Disc, as it is read from the outer edge towards the centre. Apart from the spiral pattern and the beautiful aesthetic result, the miniaturisation of the inscription is also striking, perhaps indicating that the ring was a magical object.
The Phaistos Disc. Phaistos, с. 1700-1650 ВС. The Phaistos Disc is one of the most iconic yet enigmatic artefacts of the Minoan civilization. It was discovered by Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier in a room of the Palace of Phaistos on the 3rd of July 1908. It is a clay disc with inscriptions arranged in a spiral pattern. Both sides of the disc were impressed with tiny seals, bearing 241 signs in total, before firing, while the clay was still wet. A vertical line with five dots on the outer edge of each side marks the beginning and the direction of reading of the inscriptions, from the edge of the disc towards the centre. The impressed pictograms, often depicting themes drawn from the natural world or material culture, such as people, birds, plants and ships, are arranged in 61 groups, presumably representing words. These are separated by vertical or radiating incised lines. Due to its uniqueness, the disc is a fascinating object of study, and there have been many attempts to decipher and interpret the text. The repetition of certain groups of signs, like a refrain, is the strongest evidence that the inscription is a hymn or incantation. Experts have not yet reached a definitive conclusion on the contents of the inscription and its possible relationship to the three pre-alphabetic scripts of the prehistoric Aegean, Linear A, Cretan Hieroglyphic and Linear B.
Other side of the Phaistos disc.
At the top are votive double axes of gold, silver and bronze. 1700-1450 BC. Below are the more practical ones.
The "Harvester Vase". Hagia Triada, Royal Villa. 1500 - 1450 BC. The Harvester Vase from the Royal Villa of Hagia Triada in the Mesara is a vessel of black steatite which takes its name from the relief scene on its upper half. The vase was made in three pieces, of which the upper part of the body and the neck are preserved today. The multi-figured scene carved in low relief on the shoulder of the vase depicts a procession of men carrying agricultural implements for harvesting and winnowing, walking and singing to the rhythm of a sistrum. The sistrum, a ritual rattle inspired by Egyptian instruments, is being shaken by one of the men in the procession. All the figures are looking right, except for one who is looking back and laughing at someone who has fallen down, a detail typical of the lively realism of the scene. At the head of the procession is a man holding a staff who is dressed differently to the rest, in a long garment. He is probably an official or a priest. The scene probably depicts an event forming part of a rural religious festival. The vase may have been used in this context, as it is actually a rhyton, a special vessel with holes at top and bottom for pouring ritual libations. This vessel from Hagia Triada belongs to a category of stone vases with relief religious scenes, which were produced in palatial stone-working workshops, probably at Knossos. Two other examples, the Boxer Rhyton and the Chieftain Cup, were also found at the Royal Villa of Hagia Triada.
Smallest gold wine cup in the world! 1700-1450 BC.
Assemblage of beetle and animal votive offerings from the open-air sanctuary at Piskokephalo, Sitia. 1650-1500 BC.
The “Swing”. Clay model of a female figure swinging on a string between two columns. On the columns are seated birds, the attendants of the goddess, as they appear in epiphany scenes. This is an image of the descent of the goddess, known from scenes on gold rings. Hagia Triada, 1500-1450 BC.
Check this out! 🤩 Peculiar libation vessel consisting of successive hollow rings. The liquid entered from the cup above, ran through the rings and poured through the base. Clay rhyta with pointed ends and vases with figure-of-eight handles and a pierced top, interpreted as flower vases. Zakros-palace. 1500-1450 BC.
Bull's-head rhyton. Knossos, Little Palace. 1600-1450 BC. A masterpiece of Minoan art, this stone vessel in the shape of a bull's head is a fine example of both the stone-carving expertise and the ideology of the Minoans, as the bull is an emblematic religious symbol of the Minoan world. The vessel is restored. Only the left side of the head, carved of black steatite, is the original. The horns, which were not found, would have been made of gilded wood. The head and neck are rendered in very naturalistically, while details such as the hair are shown in relief or rendered with incisions. The eyes are inlaid with rock crystal and jasper, while the muzzle is highlighted with inlaid white shell. The crystal preserved in the right eye has a concave back which magnifies the pupil, giving the animal a lively expressiveness. The result is a strikingly evocative representation of a bull. The vessel is a rhyton, a ritual vase for making libations, that is, liquid offerings, to the deity. The liquid was poured into a hole in the back of the neck and ran out of a hole in the bull's mouth. Similar vessels have been found at Zakros and Palaikastro. Stone bull's-head rhyta date from the period of the New Palaces and are magnificent attestations to the high level of palatial, probably Knossian art.
The "Ring of Minos". 1500-1400 BC. The imagery of the so-called "Ring of Minos" stands out among the scenes depicting aspects of Minoan religious ideology. This exceptional gold ring may be the largest ever found in Crete. It was discovered in 1928 in a field near the Royal Temple Tomb of Knossos, on the Gypsadhes hill. At first, many scholars were unsure of its authenticity, mainly because of its iconography. The ring was first examined by the excavator of Knossos, Sir Arthur Evans, and also the archaeologist Nikolaos Platon, who did not doubt it was real. As the years went by, other finds with many similarities to the images on this ring came to light. Today the scholarly consensus is that it is one of the most representative examples of Minoan seal-carving. The ring is a signet ring which obviously belonged to a member of the ruling class wielding temporal and/or religious authority. On its oval bezel is incised a complex scene depicting stages and symbols of the apparition of the goddess, as well as acts of the cult ritual of tree worship. On the left side of the composition, a female figure is gently shaking a tree branch emerging from a built stepped sanctuary. In the centre, a kneeling man is pulling a tree branch with his right hand while holding a fruit picked from the tree in his left. He appears to be offering the fruit to a female figure, probably the goddess, seated on a built stepped platform. The divine nature of the figure is reinforced by a small hovering figure visible to her right, descending from above. The lower part of the scene is occupied by a row of oval rocks and a scene of the goddess sailing on the sea, in a boat containing a stepped altar crowned with horns of consecration. The scene, unique in Minoan iconography, is a summary of the Minoan conception of the divine and the unity of the universe. The presence of the goddess in the air as a floating figure, on land as a personified seated female form, and at sea in a boat, symbolises her various aspects and her dominion over the celestial, terrestrial and marine worlds. Tree cult scenes are associated with the epiphany process, heightening the strong semantic charge of the scene.
The "Snake Goddesses". Knossos, "Temple Repositories". 1600-1500 BC. Among the most important exhibits of the Museum are the two famous statuettes known as the "Snake Goddesses", iconic symbols of the Minoan civilisation and exquisite examples of Minoan miniature sculpture. They belong to a group of objects that includes pieces of six or seven similar figurines, believed to depict the chthonic Minoan snake goddess. They were used, together with other religious or ritual objects, in the Central Palace Sanctuary of Knossos, an organised complex of cult rooms in the West Wing of the palace. After the area was destroyed around 1600 BC, the objects were placed as sacred relics in cists in the Temple Repositories, which were sealed before the rebuilding and reuse of the sanctuary in the next phase of its history. The figurines are made of painted faience. The various parts were made separately in moulds and joined with wire. The female figures are interpreted as goddesses or priestesses. They are wearing the elaborate Minoan garment, consisting of a long, flounced skirt, a woven or embroidered apron and a tight bodice leaving the breasts exposed, familiar from other Minoan depictions of goddesses and priestesses. The figurines are named after the snakes coiling around the body and the tall headdress of the larger figure, and the snakes held by the smaller one. Snakes symbolise the chthonic nature of the figures, their relationship with the underworld, while the feline on the head of the smaller figure signifies her dominion Besides the "Snake Goddesses", the group of artefacts includes faience plaques with animals, plant symbols. There are creatures and astral symbols, all highlighting the attributes of the Goddess as the protector of nature. There are also various insets from wooden objects, models of garments, miniature faience vases and many large vessels, both local and imported from the Cyclades.
Limestone lion's-head rhyton. Knossos, Palace. 1650-1500 BC. This vessel in the shape of a lioness's head, made of translucent white limestone, is an exquisite example of the Minoan stone-carvers' skill and naturalism. The eyes and muzzle were inlaid with coloured materials. The excavator, Sir Arthur Evans, says that a small fragment of red jasper was preserved at the tip of the lioness's nose when it was found. The vessel is a rhyton, a ritual vase for making liquid libations. The liquid was poured into a hole in the back of the neck and ran out of two holes in the nose and mouth. The rhyton was made during the period of the New Palaces but it may also have been used in the next phase of use of the palace. It was apparently stored along with other stone vessels, mostly rhyta, in the Room of the Stone Vases in the Central Palace Sanctuary of Knossos or on the floor above. This particular rhyton stands out for its shape, the head of a lioness. Although there were no lions in Crete as far we know, this pictorial theme was incorporated into the repertoire of Minoan art at an early date, often combined with Cretan fauna or men and women. It seems that the attributes of the lion, an exotic and powerful animal, acquired a symbolic significance and were associated with the ideological world of the Minoans. Thus, on a religious level the lion takes its place among the powerful symbols of the time, as the protector and companion of the goddess, while on a secular level it denotes the authority of the ruler or the courage of the warrior.
Amphora of multicoloured veined limestone. Zakros, "Treasury of the Shrine". 1500-1450 BC. The largest known assemblage of elaborate Minoan stone vessels was revealed in the "Treasury of the Shrine" at the Palace of Zakros, whose contents were discovered almost intact during the excavation by Nikolaos Platon. Among the most striking finds are the stone ritual vessels, including rhyta for offerings and libations to the deity, cups known as "chalices", and this amphora of multicoloured veined limestone. This vase displays the unparalleled skill of the Minoan stone-carvers, in their ability to carve the hard material, the precision of the shape and the use of the natural veins in the stone to create a multicoloured, nearly circular design in the centre of the body. The high S-shaped handles, the two parts of the double neck, the body of the vase and the collar around the base of the neck were all made separately before being assembled. Each of these elements is also found in other vessels of the Neopalatial period, but their combination in this amphora produces a unique and distinctive shape.
Rock crystal libation vessel/rhyton. Zakros, "Treasury of the Shrine". 1500-1450 BC. This small libation vessel, a true masterpiece of Minoan art, is one of the most valuable ritual vessels of the Central Sanctuary of Zakros. The body and neck are made separately. The body of the rhyton is carved from a particularly large block of rock crystal. The vase was found shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces, which were restored with marvellous skill by the conservators of the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. The collar around the join between neck and body is decorated with gilded ivory discs. The tall, curved handle is formed of fourteen crystal beads threaded on copper wire, and was found almost intact during the excavation, with the beads still in place. The skill of the Minoan craftsman is evident not only from the decorative details of the rhyton but also from the fact that he was able to create such a fine-walled vessel without cracking the particularly hard raw material. The aesthetic perfection of the rhyton is as impressive as the technical skill required to produce it. Its symbolic value as a ritual vessel is heightened by the precious ivory and the metals, all of which were imported to Crete from distant parts of the East Mediterranean.
Green steatite rhyton (drinking vessel) with relief open-air sanctuary. Zakros, Palace, 1600-1450 BC. The exquisite stone ritual vessels found in the shrine treasuries of the palaces of Zakros and Knossos, some of them true masterpieces, attest to the luxurious ceremonies of official palace cult. A representative example is this vase from Zakros, known as the "Sanctuary Rhyton", which bears a religious scene. The rhyton is a ritual libation vessel of green steatite. The whole surface was originally covered in gold leaf, of which only tiny scraps survive in seven places. It is decorated with a relief scene of an open-air sanctuary in a rocky landscape with wild goats. The sacred space is delimited by the façade of a tripartite building and a wall enclosing an open area around it. The central part of the building resembles a closed door decorated with spirals. In the inner open area are three structures identified as altars. The sides of the building, the enclosure wall and one of the altars are crowned with horns of consecration, one of the most important Minoan religious symbols. The whole composition, with its especially vivid and detailed depiction of the landscape and structures, provides a reasonably realistic picture of the peak sanctuaries or other open-air sanctuaries that have been brought to light by excavations. Enclosures containing stepped platforms have been excavated at the open-air sanctuaries of Juktas and Syme Viannos, leading most scholars to believe that a similar sanctuary is depicted on the Zakros rhyton.
Gold-bound carnelian sealstone with religious symbols (Top of photo). Poros, Cave Tomb I. 1500-1450 BC. Sealstones, usually made of precious materials with elaborate miniature decoration, often appear to have been worn on the wrist of important figures wielding administrative or religious authority in Minoan Crete. One such example is this carnelian sealstone, gold-mounted and decorated with granulation, in order to be threaded and used as an ornament like that worn by the Cup-Bearer in the fresco of the same name. The sealstone is pierced by a hole along the horizontal axis, decorated with a granulated rosette at either end. The Minoan artisan carved significant ritual and sacred symbols into the three-sided prism seal. One of the sealing surfaces depicts a combined double axe and sacral knot, a theme which is often found in various forms of Minoan art and may have carried a particular ideological symbolism. The other two surfaces are decorated with an amphora with S-shaped handles, probably a vase used in rituals, and an indeterminate crescent-shaped object.
Cool bull’s head rhyton. 1450-1370 BC.
Various Linear B tablets and their translations.
The Ewer from Poros. Elegant ewer with trefoil mouth and dense painted and relief decoration, an exquisite example of the mature Marine Style. The body of the vase is covered by a calligraphic network of dotted scale patterns indicating the sea, in which nautili swim among rocks, seaweed, corals and sea urchins, while relief seashells and tricurved motifs enrich the scene. The ewer was made by a specialised pottery workshop of the Knossos area, to which may also be attributed two other similar specimens with painted nautili, one found at Zakros (Rooms IV-V) and the other now in Marseilles. Poros Heraklion, 1450 BC.
Pithos burial, two burial coffins (larnakes) decorated with spirals and solid circles, and burial jar with banded decoration. Knossos-Ai-Lias, 1700-1600 BC.
Cool bling. But the rings are all really small. Either they had small fingers or were small people.
Some items haven’t survived the ravages of time so well 🥴
Punk jars wearing studs?
Painted bull figurine. Phaistos, 1300-1100 BC. For the inhabitants of Minoan Crete, the bull was a symbol of strength and fertility. It is depicted in many art forms during the Bronze Age. This figurine is one of the largest and best-preserved examples of the Postpalatial period. It was probably a votive offering to a sanctuary founded on the ruins of the Palace of Phaistos. The various parts of the figurine were made separately on a potter's wheel and joined with pieces of raw clay. Although it has some naturalistic features, the head is more stylised than those of examples of the preceding Palatial period. Although the painted decoration on the body is also stylised, it seems to be intended as an abstract rendering of the animal's dappled colouring. The figurine probably originally stood on a clay base, as the bull's legs are too thin to support its body. There was a long tradition of making bull figurines and using them in sanctuaries in Palatial Crete. In the Postpalatial period they appear in large numbers at open-air sanctuaries. Animal figurines, mostly bulls, have been interpreted as substitutes for the sacrifice of real animals, but they may also have been associated with fertility rites.
Captain Stavros checking out some clay figurines.
Sarcophagus and baths.
The Hagia Triada Sarcophagus. Hagia Triada, Necropolis, Tomb 4. 1370-1320 ВС. This masterpiece is a unique stone chest sarcophagus which was discovered in a funerary building near the Villa of Hagia Triada by Italian archaeologist Roberto Paribeni in 1903. The outer surface is covered with a thin coat of plaster and painted in the fresco technique. The friezes covering the whole surface are painted in vivid colours and provide valuable information on the burial customs of high-ranking officials of Crete in the Mycenaean era. On one long side, on the right, the deceased man is shown standing in front of his tomb, wearing a long tunic and receiving offerings of models of animals and a boat from a procession of men. On the left, priestesses are pouring libations into a tub between poles surmounted by double axes. On the other long side are depicted other funerary rites, a bull sacrifice and bloodless offerings at an altar in front of a sanctuary with a sacred tree. The events are accompanied by music, while the presence of the deity is indicated by birds. On the two narrow sides, the figures in chariots drawn by wild goats and griffins may be a symbolic depiction of the last journey of the deceased. The sarcophagus appears to have been used for the burial of a particularly eminent person, as we see from the material and the quality of construction, and also from the depiction of the elaborate funerary ritual and the rendering of honours. On a symbolic level, the painted decoration recalls the technique, style and iconography of the palatial fresco tradition.
Some of these “Goddess with Upraised arms” figurines are quite large.
Figurine of goddess with upraised arms. Bairia, Gazi. 1300-1200 BC. Clay figurines of the type known as the "goddess with upraised arms" are distinguished by the conventional gesture of raising their hands and by the various religious symbols on their heads. This figure is very stylised, with a long dress represented by a cylinder. Both hands are raised in what may be a gesture of prayer, greeting or blessing. There are few details on the body apart from the small conical breasts and a simple neck ornament. The face, on the contrary, is strongly emphasised, with striking features resembling a mask. These figurines were found in community sanctuaries of Postpalatial Cretan settlements of the 13th century BC and are believed to represent goddesses. This particular example is preserved intact and is known as the "Poppy Goddess". Its discovery in a vineyard in Gazi led to the excavation of the site and the discovery of a sanctuary containing five figurines of goddesses with upraised arms and other ceremonial objects. The figurine takes its name from the opium poppy seedheads adorning the diadem around her head. As opium is a hallucinogen known for its sedative and healing properties, it was probably the symbol of a specific goddess with healing and soothing powers.
Stuff from Gournia, where we visited in one of previous posts.
Sarcophagus.
Model of a beast of burden carrying two amphoras, from Phaistos, 1100-900 BC. Hands up who now has that song in their heads?
The Prince of the Lilies Fresco. Knossos Palace, 1600-1450 BC. The Prince of the Lilies is perhaps the most famous of all the Minoan frescoes. It depicts a young man in high plaster relief against a red ground. The life-size male figure, comprised of three non-joining pieces, is wearing a colourful loincloth and belt, and a majestic crown of waz-lilies and peacock feathers. According to Arthur Evans, the excavator of the Palace of Knossos, he was the "Ruler of Knossos", the "Priest-King", the personification of religious and secular power. Other scholars propose different reconstructions of the fragments and interpretations of the fresco, identifying the "Prince" as an athlete, a boxer, or a ruler making a gesture of command, while the luxurious crown is thought to belong to a priestess or a sphinx. The poor state of the relief does not allow us to make out the skin colour and therefore the gender of the figure (red for male and white for female), as it is conventionally depicted in the Minoan frescoes. It is certain, however, that the headdress and waz-lily symbol have a religious significance and that the figure depicted held a very important position in Minoan society. The fresco was discovered in the South Wing of the palace of Knossos, and the excavator believed it formed part of the Procession Fresco. The Prince of the Lilies may indeed have adorned a processional corridor, but at an earlier date than that to which the fragments of the Procession Fresco belong.
Evidence that either a species of bird dogs existed, or that people were consuming psychedelics back in the Minoan days.
Part of a relief bull fresco. Knossos Palace, 1650 - 1550 ВС. Despite its fragmentary state of preservation, this impressive depiction of a charging bull is a crowning example of Minoan naturalistic art. The relief technique is used to render the bull's head and the dramatic tension of the scene with extraordinary realism. The lowered head, pricked-forward ears and half-open mouth with lolling tongue vividly express the animal's desperation to escape its pursuers, as it appears that the subject of the larger scene was a bull hunt. Other relief fragments from the same composition depict parts of the bodies of two bulls, limbs of two human figures, one male and one female, olive trees and a rocky landscape. The fresco adorned the wall of the portico believed to have surmounted the West Porch of the North Entrance to the palace of Knossos. The bull, a symbol of strength and fertility, was one of the most popular subjects of the iconography of the Palace of Knossos during the Neopalatial and Final Palatial periods.
Dolphin Fresco. Knossos, Palace. 1600 - 1450 BC. The Dolphin Fresco is a magnificent seascape as well as a decorative masterpiece. Two dolphins are shown swimming among small blue, yellow and pink fish. The light blue background with a darker blue net pattern represents the iridescent surface of the sea. The fragments of the fresco were found in a lightwell at the east end of the Queen's Megaron in the Palace of Knossos, and Evans believed that it adorned a wall above the entrance. A different interpretation of the excavation data is that the fresco probably decorated a floor on the upper storey rather than a wall. Although the location and dating of the fresco are uncertain, it belongs to a long Minoan tradition of seascape imagery, with wonderful examples dating from as early as the beginning of the Neopalatial period.
Given the size of their rings, maybe the Minoans were tiny people?
Lintel of Prinias temple. Prinias, Temple A. 650 - 600 BC. One of the most important sculptural works of Daedalic art of the 7th century BC is the lintel of the main entrance to Temple A at Prinias. At the top, where the skylight was, are two identical enthroned goddesses, seated facing each other with their hands on their knees. They are each wearing a long belted peplos, with a fine mantle around the shoulders. The lower part of the garment is richly decorated with incised animals and geometric motifs. The goddesses are also wearing polos headdresses, a sign of their divinity. Their faces are triangular, with brows and almond-shaped eyes rendered in high relief, all typical features of the Orientalising style of the period. The enthroned goddess is a type often found in ancient Greek art. The sculptures from the temple of Prinias are the earliest known example of the seated deity type. The volumes of the bodies are rendered without anatomical details, while the divine nature of the figures is indicated by their expression of calm detachment. Under the goddesses, the epistyle of the doorway is decorated with six panthers in relief. On entering the temple, one would see the lower part of the epistyle, where the two goddesses appear again, this time standing. In spite of their partial state of preservation, which allows different proposed reconstructions, the sculptures of the temple of Prinias are a unique source of information on the art and architecture of this era in Crete.
Roman era statues from Crete.
The romans used much large sarcophagi than the Greeks did.
Marble statue group of Isis-Persephone and Sarapis-Hades. Gortyn, Temple of the Egyptian Gods. 180 - 190 AD. Hellenistic sculpture of the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC in Crete is represented by few known works. In the following Roman period, on the contrary, large numbers of statues were produced. Most of them are copies and reproductions of famous Classical and Hellenistic works, intended to adorn the temples, public buildings and villas of wealthy Romans. The full-length statues and portrait busts of members of the imperial families and local officials of the Roman ruling class are original works. Most of these have been found in Gortyn, the capital of the Roman province of Crete and Cyrenaica. The statues of Isis-Persephone and Sarapis-Hades come from the Temple of the Egyptian Gods in Gortyn. The statue of Isis-Persephone is preserved almost intact. That of Sarapis-Hades is missing the right arm, while a large part of the left arm and sceptre are restored. The goddess is depicted frontally, holding a sistrum in her right hand. In her left she probably held the leashes restraining Cerberus or a situla. Her head is covered by a mantle and crowned with a circular emblem with the solar disc symbol between two horns. Sarapis-Hades is also standing in frontal posture. He is crowned with the modius or grain measure, and holds the sceptre of his divine authority in his left hand. On his right is Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of the Underworld. The cult of the Egyptian gods is attested at many sites of the ancient Greek world and became quite popular during the Hellenistic period. Isis, the fertility goddess who regulated the rise and fall of the Nile with her sistrum, ensured abundance and material wealth. Sarapis is thought to be a creation of Ptolemaic Egypt, an amalgam of Osiris, Apis and Pluto. Cerberus confirms the association of the cult of these deities with the Underworld, giving them the chthonic character of the myth of Hades and Persephone. The amalgamation of the attributes of the Egyptian deities Isis and Sarapis with those of the Greek Persephone and Hades is a syncretic phenomenon observed in the Hellenistic period.
Roman empower Hadrian. Check out the detail on his torso/breast plate. You can spot the wolf suckling Romulus & Remus - the founders of Rome.
What the heck is she doing to that swan??!? Marble relief plaque depicting the sexual union between Leda and the Swan, who is driven by Eros. A popular subject in antiquity, it narrates one of the many myths about the affairs and metamorphoses of Zeus. When Zeus fell in love with Leda, the wife of king Tyndareus of Sparta, he was transformed into a swan and supposedly persecuted by Venus, the goddess of love, he fell into Leda's arms for protection. Their union gave birth to Dioscuri, Castor and Polydeuces, and to Helen of Troy, who became the cause of the Trojan War. Knossos, 1st-2nd cent. AD.
Heraklion Town, Port and Venetian Fort
After 2-3 hours in the museum, we headed back out into the heat of the day and had a wander around town, found some food, and tried not to get blown away on the waterfront.
Inner fishing harbour.
The harbour is full of local boats and charter yachts ….. no room for Scappa.
The Venetian era fortress on the waterfront. Its a large imposing structure with a stone seawall that guards the harbour.
The seawall has been supplemented with interlocking concrete blocks to strengthen it.
The winged lion of St Mark …. the symbol of Venice.
This massive stone building must have appeared impenetrable ….. but somehow the Ottomans managed to overcome the forces stationed here.
A walkway leads to the only entrance to the fortress.
There is a large raised courtyard inside the building.
The view over the harbour shows the remains of some Venetian era warehouses. A day trip yacht is bringing the customers back from a trip to Dia Island.
The original seawall is pierced by the roadway.
Inside the fortress are chambers and corridors.
This room displayed amphorae and finds from local shipwrecks
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