Worldwide Travel

[#1]

When I studied Greek mythology in school, I had a hard time remembering who all those gods and goddesses were, and who did what to whom, and why. But after visiting sites that were important in Ancient Greece, some of those myths finally made sense. For example, in Crete I visited the Palace of Knossos where the myth of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur came to life.

Crete is a fertile island well suited for growing grapes and olives and it became an important importer of wine and oil throughout the Mediterranean. As a result, Crete’s early inhabitants, the Minoans, became a wealthy and culturally advanced civilization.

The Minoan capital was Knossos, where the Minoans built their Palace in 2000 BC and rebuilt it several times before its final destruction in 1400 BC. Although others discovered the remains of the Palace, wealthy Englishman Arthur Evans began excavations in 1900 that quickly revealed the Palace’s immense size—five and a half acres with over 1,300 connected rooms—and its advanced architecture. The Palace had luxurious bathrooms, ventilation systems, ground-water conduits and drainage pipes. One section was even an incredible five stories high. His excavations also unearthed artifacts such as pottery, stone and metal work, and colorful murals that helped identify the functions of the various rooms which included kitchens, residences, storerooms, bathrooms, workshops and ceremonial rooms.

In an attempt to preserve the ruins, Evans restored parts of the Palace with timbers, concrete and paint, a technique condemned by modern archaeologists as damaging and not necessarily authentic. Although Evans’ restorations may not be appreciated by archaeologists, his efforts left a fascinating glimpse of what the palace was like at the height of the Minoan culture. When I walked through the partially restored Palace, I realized that there might be something to that old Greek myth—there did seem to be a labyrinth of sorts.

According to Greek mythology, King Minos of Knossos sent his son Androgeus to Athens to represent Crete in the Athenian games. Androgeus won all the events, so the enraged King of Athens had him killed. When Minos heard about the death of his son, he sent Crete’s navy to destroy Athens. But after conquering Athens, Minos decided not to destroy the city, but demanded that Athens send seven young men and seven virgins to Knossos every nine years where they would be thrown into the Palace’s labyrinth and sacrificed to the monster who lived there, the half-man/half bull Minotaur.

Theseus, the Athenian king’s son, volunteered to be one of the seven men because he wanted to kill the Minotaur and end the suffering of Athens. Theseus told his father that he would raise white sails instead of the black sails on his ship when he returned after killing the Minotaur. But after his success in the labyrinth—thanks to the help he received from Minos’ daughter Ariadne—Theseus sailed back to Athens and forgot to change the sails to white. When the King of Athens saw the black sails, he thought his son had failed in his quest and was dead, so he flung himself into the sea and died.

It’s quite a tale of love, betrayal and adventure! And I don’t think I would have ever remembered it if I hadn’t visited the Palace of Knossos.