The big archaeologic site on Crete is Knosos. According to Greek mythology, the palace was designed by famed architect Dedalos with such complexity that no one could ever find its exit once inside. King Minos who commissioned the palace kept the architect prisoner to ensure that he would not reveal the palace plan to anyone. Dedalos, a great inventor, built two sets of wings so he and his son Ikaros could fly off the island, and so they did. On their way out, Dedalos warned his son not to fly too close to the sun because the wax that held the wings together would melt. The son flew too high and fell to his death in the Aegean.
Camera: Fuji XT20
Camera: Fuji XT20
The Minoans were a peaceful peopled put all their energy into innovations. They has sewer systems and brought in clean drinking water that they piped to the site from the river and underground springs. The river no longer exists today but Crete has an underground aquifer and is largely self sufficient.
Arthur Evans, the British Archaeologist excavated the site in 1900 and restored large parts of the palace in a way that it is possible today to appreciate the grandeur and complexity of the structure. There is controversy on whether he should have restored it the ways he did. We visited the museum right next door to our hotel and saw many of the artifacts from the site. The pottery was very artistic and quite different from that of the Greeks.
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