The legends and myths associated with the Minoans conjure images of a fascinating world; Zeus, father of the gods, fancied a girl named Europa (who gives her name to the continent). To ensnare her, Zeus took the form of a white bull. As the young maiden wreathed his horns with flowers, and played about, the bull became gentler and gentler. When Europa climbed on the white bull's back, it suddenly dashed off into the sea, carrying the girl away. The result of the inevitable sexual union was their son Minos (who gives his name to the Minoans). King Minos was the great legendary king of the Minoans. His wife Pasiphae fell in love with a bull of Poseidon and gave birth to the Minotaur...half-man and half-bull. This monster lived in a maze called the labyrinth. The Minoans called their double-headed axes labrys (these axes were used for ceremonial purposes, and lined the halls of the great palace of Minos.). The word labyrinth (which we use to mean a maze) may derive from the fact that these double headed axes were found in such abundance. Androgeous was the son of Minos. He was killed after winning the Athenian Games. The revenge that Minos exacted from the Athenians was a tribute of seven youths and seven maids yearly. These young women and men were led into the lair of the Minotaur….a labyrinth so confusing that none could find their way out. In the end, these youths and maidens were torn to bits by the furious flesh-eating Minotaur.

There is the story of the Athenian hero Theseus who bade his father farewell, intent on killing the hideous monster and breaking the curse against the Athenians. When he arrived on the island, he was aided in his quest to destroy the Minotaur by Minos’ daughter Ariadne, and Daedalus, the brilliant craftsman of Knossos. (Daedalus was such a clever caftsman, that when the wife of Minos fell in love with the bull, he created a false hollow cow that the woman crawled inside, waiting to have sex with the animal who was completely fooled by the disguise. Yikes! Anyway, the result was the birth of the Minotaur…a man's body with the head of a bull. Does this sound Eastern in the mix of animal-human physical traits?) Daedalus gave Theseus a ball of twine to unwind as he made his way through the maze of the labyrinth so that he could find his way out once he had killed the monster. This worked. The Minotaur was dead. Theseus and Ariadne high-tailed it out of Knossos, and, after a night of passion, Theseus (the heel!) left Ariadne on the beach at Naxos. Not to worry…she soon crossed paths with the God of Wine, Bacchus. He was returning from the east with his chariot pulled by leopards. A drunken, reveling retinue served as escorts. Ariadne could have done worse than hook up with Bacchus!

Daedalus' cunning in devising wings of wax and feathers, and his dramatic escape with his son, Icarus from the kingdom of Minos is one of the thrilling adventures that ends in sadness. Icarus flew too close to the sun, and his wings of wax melted. The sea where Icarus fell to his death bears his name still. It is called the Icarian Sea. Hidden in these myths are echoes of a once-great culture.

Oh, by the way, Theseus' father expected his son to return by sea with white sails of victory raised. The father, standing on a promontory (some say it is where the Temple of Athena Nike stands on the Acropolis) waited and looked out to sea. Theseus, in his big rush to dump Ariadne forgot to put on the white sails. His father, seeing the black sails on the ships assumed his son had perished, and leapt from the rock to his death.

The Minoan’s great center was Knossos. It is likely that the legend of the Minotaur’s labyrinth was inspired by the palace and its many complex levels.

The "bull-leaping" contests of the Minoans, and, indeed, their fascination with bulls...may have inspired the myth of the Minotaur. Knossos was first discovered by a Greek amateur archaeologist in the late 1800’s. This stimulated the interest of others, including Heinrich Schliemann (who had excavated Mycenae and Troy)...but it was the Englishman Arthur Evans who successfully purchased the land and began excavations in 1900. Modern scholars may disapprove of his methods and reconstructions....but we must consider the fact that in 100 years, the methodology and philosophy of archaeology have, in the first case advanced considerably, and in the second, become conservative (as opposed to reconstructive). His memory is highly revered by the Greeks. We see, in the fragments of frescoes and sculptures and architecture, an art of joy and sprightly beauty. The Minoans depended on the sea for its bounty and trade-routes, and the lively depiction of dolphins, octopi, and fish attest to a culture that was in harmony with the natural world.

Crete is the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean. The palace of Knossos was the center of political, religious and economic life in the region. The archaeologist Arthur Evans believes that some 100,000 inhabitants lived in the surrounding hillsides during the height of Minoan dynasties.

The site of Knossos had been settled since 6,000 BC. In Neolithic times it was a major settlement. Excavations have discovered evidence of an agricultural and cattle-raising community, with mud-brick homes and tools of stone, animal horn and bone. It is the Bronze Age, circa 2800-1100 BC that is the period of the great Minoan civilization, when tools of metal were used, and the culture exhibited a high degree of technological and aesthetic achievement. The Old Palace period ended in 1700 BC with the destruction of the palace. The cause of the damage is a mystery. The New Palace Period begins in 1600 BC. These are the remnants visible today. The palace covered about 5 acres of land, had 5 main entrances....showing that this was not an especially fortified area, and that attack was not a concern for the people of Knossos. The settlements of the people covered the surrounding hills.

Palace of Knossos 1600-1400 Minoan Crete

Grand Staircase 1600-1400 Minoan Crete

Queen’s Magaron 1600-1400 Minoan Crete

King’s Megaron 1600-1400 Minoan Crete

These people created a highly advanced civilization that was finally destroyed circa 1400 BC. The most likely theory is that the volcanic Island of Santorini exploded, destroying its population in about 1450 BC. Earthquakes in the same period on Crete may have decimated the population of Knossos, allowing the invading Mycenaeans to conquer and rule from the palace for a period of, perhaps, half a century. After this time, Mycenae becomes the dominant force in the Mediterranean.

Dolphin Fresco from Knossos 1600 BC(c) Minoan Crete

Cupbearers fresco from Knossos 1500 BC(c) Minoan Crete

Bull Leap Fresco from Knossos 1500 BC(c) Minoan Crete

Bull Relief from Knossos 1600 BC(c) Minoan Crete

La Parisienne (from Knossos) 1500 BC(c) Minoan Crete

Octopus Jar from Gournia 1600 BC(c) Minoan Crete

Harvester Vase from Hagia Triada 1500 BC(c) Minoan Crete

Snake Goddess from Knossos 1600 BC(c) Minoan Crete

Bull’s Head Rhyton from Knossos 1500 BC(c) Minoan Crete

The Phaistos disc is the earliest known example of printing. A number of stone seals were pressed into a wet clay tablet, leaving their impressions. It has, as yet, been untranslatable.