One of the most interesting days that we spend in Chania was Wednesday! At 8 o’ clock in the morning the students from Spain, Cyprus and Chania came to our hotel, so that we start our day together!

Our first stop was at Knossos. Our tour guide was waiting there for us. She is an old and friendly woman with a lot of energy! One of the most interesting things that she told us was that the person who discover “The Palace of Knossos” before Arthur Evans was Minoas Kalokairinos, I am sure that no one knew it!!!

Some things that tour guide told us for “Palace of Knossos”

The most important center of Minoan civilization, Knossos, is built on the hill of Kefala amidst olive groves, vineyards and cypress trees, located 5 km SE of Heraklion and covers an area of ​​approximately 15 square meters km. The choice of the region was made on the basis of its strategic location and its natural advantages. It is located between the two rivers Vlichia and Cairo (today Katsaba), with easy access to the sea and also to the interior of Crete. According to tradition it was the seat of King Minos and the capital of his state. Knossos was an important city in antiquity, with continuous life from the Neolithic period until 5th AD. Century and there built the first important Minoan palace of Crete. It is the most important example of Minoan civilization, which flourished from 1700 to 1450 BC. Exciting myths are linked to the site of the Knossos palace, such as Labyrinth with Minotaur and Daedalus with

Icarus. References to Knossos, its palace and Minos are made to Homer, to Thucydides (reference to Minos), to Hesiod and Herodotus, to Bacchylides and Pindar, to Plutarch and Diodorus Sikeliotis. The flourishing period of the city dates back to the Minoan period (2000-1350 BC), during which it was the most important and most populous center of Crete. Even in later periods, it plays an important role and is particularly developed, as in the Hellenistic era. Exciting myths are linked to the site of the Knossos palace, such as Labyrinth with Minotaur and Daedalus with Icarus. References to Knossos, its palace and Minos are made to Homer, to Thucydides (reference to Minos), to Hesiod and Herodotus, to Bacchylides and Pindar, to Plutarch and Diodorus Sikeliotis. The flourishing period of the city dates back to the Minoan period (2000-1350 BC), during which it was the most important and most populous center of Crete. Even in later periods, it plays an important role and is particularly developed, as in the Hellenistic era.

The yard is crossed by the so-called "Pompeii Streets", which protrude from the rest of the pavement and intersect with each other. In one sense, they parade processions during the ceremonies. Along the courtyard rises the west facade of the palace. The facade is made of gypsum blocks, on the west facade there are two bases that were considered to belong to build altars. Underneath the western courtyard are the remains of Neolithic (6700-3200 BC) and Pre-palatial (3200-1900 BC) settlements.

The "West Propylon" was a covered area open to the courtyard, with a column from which a portion of the base of the gypsum was saved. The east wall was adorned with a bullfinch mural. In the background there was a small "entrance guard". From the "Propylo", which closed with a double door, the long "Corridor of the Procession" began. The corridor was so named from the fresco that adorned its eastern wall and featured a procession of people holding gifts and musicians. The floor was luxurious.

According to Evans, the "Pompeii Corridor" ended first in the "South Propylaea" and then in the central courtyard of the palace.

Looking down, we see the beginning of the corridor, communicated by eighteen elongated warehouses of 1300 sq. M.

There are ninety-three rectangular pockets in the floor of the warehouses and hallway, the so-called "chassis". On the basis of the findings, they appear to have been used to store valuable utensils and vessels. The corridor also had larger pockets, with a smear inside, perhaps for storing liquids. The "West Warehouse" jars testify to the palace's wealth. About 150 pits were found, but there is room for at least 400. Their content is not known, but it could be oil, wine, legumes, etc.

At various points in the warehouses, clay tablets of Linear B with financial records were brought to light. At the northern end of the corridor a large number of older clay seals and clay tablets with Cretan hieroglyphs were discovered.

You see the lobby of a room complex that Evans called the "Throne Room". The name is due to the stone seat found in the space behind the lobby.

Stone benches are preserved in the hallway, among them traces of a burnt wooden structure. At this point today there is a wooden seat, a copy of the stone that is found next door. The central area follows the hallway. To the right and left of the stone seat there are also stone benches. In the same area were found pieces of frescoes depicting plants and griffins, namely mythical animals with a lion's body and a bird's head. The restoration

of the fresco is in the Heraklion Museum. Evans posted a copy here. On the floor were found stone pots of oil usually associated with rituals. Also the stone basin you see was found in an adjacent corridor and placed here. On the left, a low column partition creates a small tank-like space because its floor is in a deeper level. A. Evans considered that spaces of similar configuration were used for purification rituals and therefore called them "purification tanks".

The southern part and the southern facade of the palace are much damaged. Today only one can see foundations and gradual levels. Low, a towering ledge is that it is left from the south entrance of the palace. An uphill corridor led to the central courtyard. The portion of this corridor near the central courtyard is remodeled. A. Evans placed here a copy of a relief fresco from which only a few fragments were found. They were distinguished by a form of jewelry, which had the shape of a lily. The restoration that exists is uncertain.

Interior view from Queen's apartments. It's smaller than Minoan's mansion but luxurious as well. It had windows, desks, a gallery and auxiliary spaces. A toilet with running water and carnivores was found in the area. On the wall in the background is a copy of the dolphin fresco. On the floor above the queen's mansion in a small sanctuary was an ivory treasure.

Some of these historical monuments are housed in the museum of Heraklion.

Alabaster triton-shaped rhython, a vase used for libations, with a hole in the upper end for pouring the liquid. Knossos-Temple Repositories, 1650-1550BC. 

Stone bull's-head rhython, left side of head and horns restored. It is a masterpiece of Minoan art, worked with great precision to render the natural features of the real animal. The snout is outlined with an inlay of white seashell, while the preserved right eye is inlaid with rock crystal, with rim and iris of red jasper. This vessel would have been used for libations, as indicated by the hole in the neck for filling and the corresponding hole in the snout for pouring out the liquid. Knossos-Little Palace, 1600-1450 BC. (Archaeological Museum of Heraklion).

The so-called Minotaur's ring is a masterpiece of Minoan jewelry and is, in fact, a valuable work for the understanding of religious iconography. In the complex religious representation of the ring slingshot depicting the three levels of epiphany. The goddess is depicted floating in the air as a tiny figure, sitting in a built-in stepped with horns.

Copper ingots, raw material of cast copper probably used as a unit of exchange. They were imported, mainly from Cyprus, in the form of ox-hides facilitating their transportation, with a standard weight around 30kg. Some bear incised signs of Cypriot and Minoan script certifying the transaction. Zakros-palace and Hagia Triada-Royal Villa, 1500-1450 BC. 

The Draught board. A board game inlaid with ivory, blue glass paste and rock crystal, plated with gold and silver. For large, conical ivory gaming-pieces correspond to circular areas of the Draught board. Similar, simpler objects have been found in Egypt and the East. Palace of Knossos, 1700-1450 BC. Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. 

The clay-enigmatic disc found in Phaistos holds a prominent place in the history of Cretan scriptures. it contains 45 figurative points, divided into different combinations into 61 groups, separated by incised lines and apparently representing words. The spots were imprinted on both sides of the disc in a spiral arrangement with small seals, as long as the clay was fresh. No definitive conclusions have been drawn on the content of the inscription and its relation to other Cretan scriptures. The repetition of certain combinations of dots in the transient type is the most convincing indication that it is a hymn or a magical text.

The jewelry is made up of two bees. They are represented as they fly upright, holding a honeycomb between their legs. Above their heads is a gold wire cage, enclosed in a gold ball. On the wings and on the center, hinges are decorated with flakes. The jewelry is a work of Minoan gold from 1800 - 1700 BC. All the advanced technologies of the time were used for its manufacture.

Bullfighting was a Minoan-era sport in which the athlete was jumping over a bull. Several shows have also been found in Crete. The feast was dedicated to the god Poseidon. Sport, unlike bullfighting, did not require the killing of bulls. Its purpose was to show the courage and flexibility of athletes. Four men and women were holding wooden bats and circling the bull, one of them trying to climb the animal's back and holding his horns to perform various acrobatic exercises.

The sophisticated swords and manuals found in Malia are basically demonstrative weapons rather than useful ones. One has a gold lining on the handle end, which is adorned with a representation of an athlete. On the other hand the handle ends in a large ivory fungus. In the district M was found the manual with the elaborate, shear, gold-plated handle. Another luxurious large

Sword and a manual were discovered on the west wing of the palace. The sword has a gold-plated stone handle with dense engraved decoration. The handle of the manual is fastened with gold-plated nails.

The stone scepter handle was found in the same area, one end of which was in the shape of a pelvis and the other in the form of a feline all consisted of famous prestige, emblems of class, caste and power of members of the palace hierarchy (1800-1600 BC).

After our guided tour of the archaeological site of Knossos, we were allowed to wander the central square! The shops there, were very modern, there were many cafes, quite a few souvenir shops. 

As we walked the pedestrian street we saw a strange shop selling ice cream. This store was quite small. When we got inside I saw that there was a huge bench with different flavors of ice cream. The cones inside had chocolate either from almond or biscuit. The amounts of ice cream were huge. There were flavors we had never heard of, like coconut ice cream!!! It was delicious.

After a long walk to the market it was time for our departure! This day will remain as a dead memory in the memory of us all.