Video: The rulers of Atlantis, brides of the Minotaur and other secrets kept by the ancient palace of Knossos
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
When archaeologist Arthur Evans discovered the remains of a palace in Crete near present-day Heraklion, he decided that he had discovered the abode of the legendary Cretan king Minos - and the labyrinth where the monstrous Minotaur once roamed. Excavations have shown that a developed civilization existed on Crete, and it is a thousand - or thousand - years older than the ancient Greek one. A civilization destroyed by a flood, like the legendary Atlantis …
The results of further research were simply amazing. Obviously, the Cretan civilization (Evans suggested calling it Minoan in honor of that very king) developed in an amazing way - nothing indicated the existence of fortifications or a navy. However, this state existed at the junction of sea trade routes and itself existed not only thanks to the gifts of generous nature, but also due to trade! Some frescoes depict detachments of black warriors, which makes it possible to talk about the close maritime ties of Crete with African countries. Some considered the Minoan civilization matriarchal - this was indicated by numerous figurines of goddesses, sculptural and pictorial. Archaeologist Maria Gimbutas also argued that the ubiquitous images of lilies and bulls' heads, reminiscent of the female reproductive system, speak of special reverence for women. Women in Crete were free, equal to men, able to rule the community, and practiced polyandry.
The inhabitants of ancient Crete were excellent engineers. In the Knossos Palace, the remains of perfectly designed communications were found: a complex and perfect plumbing system for supplying drinking water to the palace, a sewerage system with a special cleaning device, ventilation and well-equipped bathrooms. The successors of the Cretans - the Greeks - were quite knowledgeable in the field of architecture and engineering, but even in their heyday they did not reach this level. Evans attributed the construction of the labyrinth palace, equipped at an incredibly high technical level, to Daedalus, fulfilling the whims of King Minos. The Minoans' crafts were also well developed - from jewelry to weapons. Crete is home to very ancient mined deposits of copper, gold and silver.
The life of the Minoans was happy and prosperous, and their worldview was filled with love for nature - the frescoes of the Palace of Knossos told the scientists about this. The Minoans loved to portray animals, especially sea inhabitants - octopuses, fish, eels and strange creatures, over whose species scientists are puzzling. In creating the ornament, the Minoans were free and sometimes slovenly - neither symmetry, nor a clear rhythm, as if not the artist's hand, but the sea itself painted portraits of their offspring. They dotted with starfish and shells Kamares style vases, frescoes, ceramic chests, but the most famous maritime story is in the queen's supposed chambers in the Palace of Knossos. Over the entrance, dolphins are splashing in waves, competing with each other. This fresco inspired the artist Valentin Serov to create the work "The Rape of Europa".
And the artist's appeal to the image of a bull is not at all accidental - this powerful creature was clearly an object of worship in Crete. Numerous bull figures and separately depicted heads, accompanied by a labris ax, fill the interiors of the palace. In addition, the Minoans often depicted monkeys and birds, and sometimes created colorful images of unknown creatures with the body of a lion, a bird's beak and wings.
A huge layer of fresco painting by the Minoans is images of people engaged in mysterious rituals. Processions with gifts of nature, caskets, double-edged axes, refined men and women striving to pay homage to an unknown deity … And again here we see images of bulls.
There is a version that special rituals were held on the territory of the Knossos Palace, dances with bulls depicted in frescoes. Graceful young men and women - all the people depicted in the frescoes are distinguished by delicate and exquisite beauty - play with bulls, jump over their powerful backs and greet formidable animals. It was these images that allowed Evans to connect the Palace of Knossos with the Minotaur, and Serov - with Europe, enchanted by Zeus the bull. Tavromachia is considered a form of sacrifice - but it is not known whether a man or a bull was destined to fall killed in front of hundreds of spectators. There is a version that a considerable number of ancient Greek myths about the love of women for bulls is connected with the fact that the bull in Crete was a symbol of fertility, masculinity, the husband of the great goddess of the Minoans, which means that Tavromachia was more a beautiful competition than an analogue of modern bullfighting. Women symbolically sought to unite with the courageous bull, and men - to borrow its strength. Beautiful ladies in pearls, peacefully talking on the frescoes, are the brides of the stern Minotaur.
Around 1470 BC, a violent volcanic eruption occurred on the island of Santorini, triggering an earthquake and then a tsunami. Part of the land was under water, ash was strewn all around, the skies were stained with blood red … The bones found in the vases speak of the tragic decline of people forced by the most cruel sacrifices to pray to the gods for mercy. In vain - the Cretan civilization never recovered from this catastrophe. Crete was invaded by warlike tribes from the continent - the ancestors of the ancient Greeks. Having figured out the reasons for the decline of the Cretan civilization, scientists have suggested that it was this terrible story that reached us in the legends of Atlantis.
The frescoes of the Knossos Palace are far from being completely preserved. What now pleases the eye of tourists has been recreated practically from the dust - from tiny colored shards. For the most part, the frescoes were completed by restorers, who could guess their content from fragments. Therefore, perhaps, many parts of the frescoes with elements important for understanding the plot were irretrievably lost. The real Atlantis continues to keep its secrets from curious guests …
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