Minotaur labyrinth present in Crete – 2024-06-23 19:07:08

by times news cr

2024-06-23 19:07:08

On the Greek island of Crete, an historic labyrinth was by accident found that resembles the labyrinth of the legendary Minotaur – a monster with the physique of a person and the top of a bull. That is the primary construction of its form present in Crete, and it differs markedly from the same old palaces of the time. Even its form is uncommon: it’s spherical, not sq.. Quite a few animal bones have been preserved contained in the labyrinth, Day.Az stories.

That is the primary time a labyrinth has been discovered on Crete, though the island is thought exactly due to the legend of such a construction.

The invention was introduced by the Greek Ministry of Tradition. The labyrinth was found on the highest of the Papura hill, 51 kilometers from the Cretan capital – the town of Heraklion. There they have been going to put in radars for the brand new airport being constructed within the metropolis of Castelli. Nonetheless, now excavations will proceed on the hill, and a brand new level will likely be discovered for the radars.

The labyrinth consists of eight concentric circles, the thickness of its partitions reaches one and a half meters, and the peak in particular person sections is 1.7 meters. The development space is 1.8 thousand sq. meters. Radial partitions divide it into 4 sections, and small passages join completely different elements of the construction.

Labyrinth

Within the middle of the labyrinth there’s one other spherical constructing, which can also be divided into 4 sectors. Excavations haven’t but been accomplished, so the constructing might become even bigger.

The labyrinth reminded lots of the historic Greek legend of the Minotaur, which takes place in Crete

In accordance with fable, the spouse of the Cretan king Minos hid in a wood cow, seduced the bull and gave beginning to the Minotaur – a monster with the top of a bull and the physique of a person.

Minos stored him in a labyrinth, every now and then throwing seven women and 7 boys, who have been despatched from Athens for this goal, to be devoured. This continued till the hero Theseus discovered himself within the labyrinth. He managed to defeat the Minotaur and discover a method out of the labyrinth.

Nonetheless, if you happen to imagine the parable, the house of the legendary Minotaur was situated underground within the metropolis of Knossos. The labyrinth, which was present in our time, is situated on a mountain in a very completely different a part of the island.

Theseus and the Minotaur.  Sculpture by Jules Etienne Ramet, 1826

The labyrinth builders created the primary civilization in Europe and disappeared below mysterious circumstances three thousand years in the past
The Minoan civilization, which as soon as inhabited Crete, is hardly talked about in historical past books, so many solely find out about it from historic Greek myths. In actual fact, the Minoans appeared lengthy earlier than the traditional Greeks and Romans. It’s believed that they already existed in 3000 BC, whereas the start of the historical past of Historical Greece dates again solely to the eighth century BC.

The inhabitants of Crete are thought-about the creators of the primary civilization in Europe. They’d all of it – architects, craftsmen, retailers and artists who have been well-known all through the Mediterranean. No European folks had a written language, however the Minoans had two: they used each letters and hieroglyphs. Neither one nor the opposite has been deciphered till now.

Historians realized in regards to the existence of the Minoan civilization solely in the course of the nineteenth century and named it in honor of King Minos – the identical one who had the Minotaur

Nonetheless, scientists are nonetheless unsure whether or not there was a monarchy in Crete. It’s fairly attainable that the Minoans managed with out it. Though many frescoes have survived, none depict the ruler of the island, and quite a few palaces seem to have been administrative buildings quite than residential ones.

The Minoans traded with all the most important Mediterranean states of that period, and craftsmen and artists from Crete have been typically employed by international the Aristocracy – for instance, the traditional Egyptians. The primary board recreation was almost certainly additionally invented in Crete. The wood plaque and collectible figurines made from ivory, gold and silver discovered throughout excavations date again to 1700 – 1500 BC. Chess appeared about two thousand years later.

Palace at Knossos

Across the twelfth century BC, the Minoan civilization disappeared. Archaeologists have found that in this era the most important coastal cities have been abandoned. The inhabitants of the island deserted all the things and went to mountain villages, which have been simpler to defend. However, apparently, this didn’t save them.

It’s unknown what the Minoans have been fleeing from. Nonetheless, related occasions occurred not solely in Crete. The unknown “peoples of the ocean”, which nobody had heard of both earlier than or since, destroyed nearly each main metropolis within the Mediterranean.

Historians name the occasions of that point the Bronze Age Disaster and imagine that it exceeded the autumn of the Roman Empire in scale. The states of Europe, the Center East and North Africa have been thrown into the previous. It took them lots of of years to get better from the shock and return to their earlier degree of growth.

Excavation of the labyrinth

Feasts have been held within the labyrinth, nevertheless it resembles not a palace, however a tomb
Archaeologists recommend that the labyrinth was constructed between 2000 and 1700 BC by representatives of the so-called Minoan civilization. That is indicated by the fashion of ceramic shards discovered throughout excavations.

Across the similar time, essentially the most well-known palaces have been constructed on the island. Nonetheless, they’re all considerably completely different from the construction discovered on Papura Hill. Usually, Cretan palaces have been sq. or rectangular in form, whereas the labyrinth was spherical. In Crete, tombs have been normally made spherical.

Contained in the labyrinth, archaeologists discovered many animal bones. This, apparently, signifies that ritual feasts have been held in it, by which all native residents participated.

Subscribe to our WhatsApp channel and keep updated with the primary information!

You may also like

Leave a Comment