sunset photos West Crete ~ where you can still find almost deserted beaches, a quiet place to drink, naturally running spring water inexpensive prices and some very friendly Greek friends
sunset photos copyright Rena Eloundahill + Suzisunflowers 2003-2010
Tropical sunsets to sit for in western Crete's
undiscovered beauty photos of Western Crete sunsets
where the Greeks are chilled and friendly and the prices
still inexpensive. Sunsets in West Crete are as magical
as the island of Crete itself!
The myths of
~ the lady of the lake Kournas Crete Greece
~ the lady of the lake Dozmary Pool Cornwall UK
undiscovered beauty photos of Western Crete sunsets
where the Greeks are chilled and friendly and the prices
still inexpensive. Sunsets in West Crete are as magical
as the island of Crete itself!
The myths of
~ the lady of the lake Kournas Crete Greece
~ the lady of the lake Dozmary Pool Cornwall UK
Greek Orthodox Icons ~ Byzantine Paintings Elounda Crete
Yiogia & Yiannis Petrakis handpaint beautiful Greek Orthodox Icons
creating from their heart in the centre of Elounda Crete
HOME PAGE
Yiogia & Yiannis Petrakis handpaint beautiful Greek Orthodox Icons
creating from their heart in the centre of Elounda Crete
HOME PAGE
MINOAN CRETE had spectacular sunsets
today on the Greek Island of Crete hosts some spectacular tropical style sunsets
for the best beaches on Crete and the best sunsets on Crete head west!
the History of the Greek Island of Crete Greece
Crete was the home of the first large-scale civilization of the Aegean Bronze Age. Crete is located south in the Aegean, Crete is 150 miles long and 35 miles at its widest point. The island was formed by an upthrust of the African plate underlying the edge of the European plate. Crete is an unstable part of the Mediterranean basin. Though sea level has risen three to four feet since the Bronze Age, the west end of the island has been raised 25 feet, and the eastern end is only 1/2 foot lower. Crete island is very mountainous with peaks up to 8000 feet. There are over 1000 caves on Crete Malia provided early shelters, and some developed religious significance. Most areas of cultivatable ground and the best harbors are in the north, where the island slopes to the sea. The largest plain, Mesara, is in the south, running 30 miles east to west; this area also has a good harbor west of Ayia Triada. Upland valleys especially Omalos and Lasithi are insulated from the coasts and thus have provided good refuges. There are no navigable rivers. Crete boasts numerous gorges, especially on the south coast; the Samarian Gorge is the longest in Europe. Winters are sunny and mild, with snow only in the mountains; summers are hot and without rain. The island was heavily wooded in the Bronze Age; deforestation has occurred since as on the mainland, due especially to Venetian use of wood and the ever-present Greek goats basking in the sunsets of CreteLike Mycenae, Bronze Age Crete was known largely through myth until the last 100 years. Some of the storerooms at Malia Knossos were discovered in 1878 by Minos Kalokairinos, but the Turkish government prevented extensive excavations. Was this. After uncovering Troy and Mycenae, Heinrich Schliemann turned to Crete and sought to buy property the hill under which lay the palace of Knossos. Unable to agree with the owner on the number of olive trees on the site, a basis for the price of the parcel, Schliemann abandoned the project. It was left to Arthur Evans to excavate Minos's palace. Malia, Crete was declared an autonomous state in 1898, The political climate allowed Evans to purchase the site and begin excavations in 1900. The first phase proceeded until 1914, when work was interrupted by World War I. Estate excavations began again in 1922 and continued to 1932. Evans's work at Knossos has raised significant controversy about his archaeological methods. In addition to uncovering the palace, Evans also rebuilt parts of it. Debate continues over the accuracy of his reconstructions and the appropriateness of rebuilding property sites. The turn of this century marked the start of many significant investigations on Crete. The Italian School of Archaeology in Athens has excavated at Phaistos from 1900. Harriet Boyd, while searching for a Minoan settlement in Kavousi deme, was told by a peasant antiquarian about a hill with broken bits of pottery and old walls. Her resulting excavations, begun in 1901, led to the discovery of Gournia, a moderate sized Minoan town. French and Greek excavators began work at Malia palace homes in 1921 lit up by glorious sunsetsThere is no evidence of human habitation on Crete in the Paleolithic Age. Sometime between 6500 and 6000 BCE the start of the Neolithic Age human beings first arrived on Crete, probably from the east. The numerous caves provided the first homes and shrines. The dead were interred in the same caves used as dwellings. This practice continued after people moved to houses; the dead were buried under the floor. The practice did not completely disappear from Greece until the late Mycenaean Age. Knossos is the earliest site so far discovered. Phaistos was also occupied in the late Neolithic period. Ten layers have been uncovered at Knossos for the period from 6000 to 3000 BCE. The earliest settlers found a low knoll at the junction of two streams in a sheltered valley. New houses built over the ruins of the old led to the raising of the site. The first settlers built wooden houses and used skins, though there is no evidence of pottery use. Was this page. The presence of obsidium indicates trade relations with Melos, the only location in Greece with obsidium. Beginning with the ninth level of habitation, houses were made with mud brick walls and hand-made pottery is evident. Stone and bone tools, including bows and arrows, were used. The settlers also made woven cloth. Burials often occurred in caves. The basic social unit was the clan, based on kingship and the communal use of resources. Intermarrying was forbidden; separate clans formed a tribal unit. The location appeared generally peaceful; there were no defensive walls. This environment encouraged increases in general prosperity. Surplus production from agriculture contributed to maintaining skilled craftsmen. This was an important foundation for the Bronze Age. The Bronze Age begins around 3000 BCE; this was a period of dislocation and upheaval. Immigrants arrived, probably from Anatolia Turkey and Egypt or Libya. Finley argues that these peoples were absorbed in a way that led to coherent development on the island. Metallurgy was probably learned from the Cyclades. Circular, above ground tombs were used for collective burials. Significant changes in pottery occurred. Bowls high on pedestals appeared, as did spouted jugs. Burnishing tools were used for decoration Pirgos Ware depicting Cretan sunsetsCRETE IN THE PALACE PERIODS & Greek Legends Homer describes Crete as a rich and lovely land, densely populated by peoples of several races, each with its own language. According to Homer, Crete had 90 towns, with Knossos as the great city. King Minos is said to have ruled there for 9 years and to have enjoyed the friendship of Zeus. According to Cretan folklore, Minos was the son of Zeus, born of Europa, in a cave, along with his two brothers, Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon. Each brother was associated with one of the major palace sites in Crete: Minos with Knossos, Rhadamanthys with Phaistos, and Sarpedon with Mallia. Minos is said to have received from Zeus a code of laws which were the source of later Cretan codes. According to myth, Poseidon sent King Minos a great white bull to be sacrificed, but Minos kept it instead. In revenge, Poseidon gave Queen Pasiphae an unnatural passion for the bull. Daedalus, exiled from Athens, arranged a tryst by making a wooden cow in which the queen could hide. The offspring was the minotaur, half bull and half human. In response, Minos imprisoned Daedalus in the maze or labyrinth he had built. It is interesting to note that the minotaur exists only once in Minoan art finds. Minos's son sailed to Athens to participate in athletic competitions. He was killed by the jealous Athenians after he won many events. In retribution, Minos demanded a tribute of seven boys and seven girls to be sent to Crete every eight years, to be eaten by the minotaur. In the third instance, Theseus, the son of Athenian King Aegeus, was one of the boys. Ariadne, Minos's daughter, fell in love with Theseus and gave him a ball of string so that he could find his way out of the labyrinth. Theseus succeeded in killing the minotaur and escaping. Ariadne accompanied him from Knossos, but Theseus left her on Naxos, she later married Dionysus. Theseus returned to Athens but forgot to give the prearranged signal for success, a white sail instead of black. Aegeus thought Theseus had died and threw himself into the see, thus naming it forever. Minos is generally attributed with establishing the first navy and suppressing piracy to gain revenues. Thucydides also claims that Minos colonized and ruled the Cyclades and installed his sons as governors. Two different pictures of Minos emerge, however. On the first he is a beneficent ruler, a patron of the arts, a founder of palaces, and an overseer of a civilized society. On the second he is a tyrant and destroyer. Was this The latter may be based in part on Athenian chauvinism, but the differences may also be a result of the name Minos being used dynastically. The first picture may apply to those rulers, perhaps beginning with an early king actually named Minos, who led Knossos in its great days. The second picture may apply to a late ruler at Knossos who used wealth and power to exact tribute from other peoples. The Palaces on Crete there were 3 major palaces: Phaistos south Crete, Malia north east Crete and of course famous Knossos in the north central part of Crete. In addition, a smaller palace at Zakros, on the eastern tip, has been found. There may also have been a large palace in the northwest, as well as other smaller palaces. The main essentials of the plans are similar. There are large rectangular north-south central courts, with living quarters on the east. Processional stairs led to upper apartments. Royal apartments were in the northwest, including a hall, lustral chamber, and toilet. Shrine rooms were located off the west side of the court. Magazines were also located to the west. There were west courts and a west facade. Silos and pits were off the west court. Kitchens appear to have been located north of the central court. The palaces generally had no foundation, though Phaistos had massive ones. The walls were rubble packed with clay. Sometimes dressed stones were used, for walls exposed to open air. Characteristic of Minoan construction was the use of posts and lintels, that is, vertical posts were used to support a horizontal lintel, for example, to form a doorway. Light wells, central shafts, were used to provide constant drafts. Timber framework was used, as were large wooden columns, up to 4 feet in diameter. These columns tapered downward. Flat roofs were used-except for domed circular tombs. The early palaces had layouts and functions symbolic of large, closely-knit households. There was a marked emphasis on the staircase as a conspicuous feature. These palaces had a sophisticated drainage system, to deal with waste water and storm water as well as to supply fresh water. The domestic quarters were relatively small in comparison to the total area. The rebuilt palaces were more impressive than the first. Zakro occupied 7-8000 square meters; Mallia, 9000; Phaistos, at about half the size of Knossos, was about 10,000. Knossos itself covered 22,000 square meters. It had 3 stories on the west side and 4 or 5 on the east. There were over 1500 rooms, including workshops, storerooms, living quarters, and reception rooms. For the Greeks, it was remembered as a labyrinth. There is a sense of centrifugal movement away from the central court, which served as the gravitational focus. Was this jest. The west wing was largely for cult purposes. The sanctuary was regarded as a separate entity. The throne room, off the central court, was probably a later addition during the period of mainland influence. Off the central court a double peaked mountain can be seen, as at Phaistos. Massive storage areas are evident, indicating that Knossos served as a collection center for commodities traded to other cultures. The walls and floors were often painted. Red was the primary color. Simple geometric designs were used. There is no evidence of pictures before the later palaces around 1700. Religious scenes were common, but secular ones also appear. The glorification of great persons or historic events was not depicted. Figures are shown sideways, on one plane, with no perspective, reminiscent of Egyptian styles. Landscapes are portrayed to some extent as if seen from the air, a stark contrast to Egyptian style. In general, there were no defensive walls. The palaces were not situated for protection. Malia may provide an exception as it appears to have a wall. But there is debate about whether this is a defensive or a retaining wall. In general, there appears to have been peaceful development on Crete until the final destruction of the palaces by war, probably by outside conquerors. Knossos seems to have held out longer than the other palaces and may have been used by the conquerors rebelling against Cretan dominion, perhaps as represented by that second picture of Minos as a tyrant and destroyer. Social Organization Cretan society is described as a thalassocracy, that is, the economy and government were based on control of the seas. This had an obvious geographical basis, but there was also a technological basis in terms of the shipbuilding skills of the Minoans. During the early palace period, vessels were rounded, with one mast and a single square sail. There were up to 15 oars per side, for ships about 75 feet long. Such vessels could span long, open-sea routes. The Minoans also possessed larger ships to launch against their neighbors, if necessary. Some ships were probably 100 feet long. From about 1600, the Minoans possessed warships with rams. Crete may have been protected by a string of coastal bases e.g., Khamaizi and Ayia Photiou. It is likely the Minoans had to defend themselves against neighbors, though Cretan society itself may have been peaceful, based on economic ties and religious attitudes and control. The society was probably organized along theocratic lines. In religion, the mother goddess ritual queen dominated. In general, women were more respected and honored than in later Greece. Priestesses were the main religious figures early on; no kingly figure presides over ceremonial scenes in Cretan art. With the weakening of religious influences, the domination of the priestesses waned from LM 1 1500- perhaps due to natural disasters. Still, they retained partial influence through the final fall of Knossos. Throughout the period, male hierarchies probably coexisted, with males likely dominant in government offices. Knossos probably had some primacy on Crete, but it is likely there were a number of separate states. The social hierarchy probably included the following levels: Kings/Queens and perhaps councils - Landed estates perhaps nobles and territorial magnates - Was this Free citizens with various economic statuses - Slaves but few great slave enterprises, though slaves were - used in the construction of the palaces. The palaces exerted control over their surrounding areas. Crete was sprinkled with thousands of villages whose likely size was probably between 150 and 200 people. These villages would have engaged in both farming and industrial activities including extracting clay and stone, manufacturing pottery, tools, building materials, as well as figurines and sealstones.today on the Greek Island of Crete hosts some spectacular tropical style sunsets
for the best beaches on Crete and the best sunsets on Crete head west!
the History of the Greek Island of Crete Greece
