This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our cruise in August 2022. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).
Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.
Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.
The Viking Daily newsletter, which would be
delivered to our stateroom every evening, showed today's weather forecast as
"Sunny 94°F."
The Viking
Daily described our stop in "Crete (Heraklion), Greece" as follows:
"Crete was home to the Minoans, Europe's earliest civilization. Its capital, Heraklion, grew from the riches of the Venetian Empire, which ruled here for four centuries. Crete enjoyed a Renaissance building boom that helped bolster Heraklion as the region's most strongly fortified city. The island is blessed with generous beaches, soaring mountains, deep gorges and coursing rivers. It is also where the distinct mantinades—narrative couplets of love accompanied by Cretan stringed instruments—could break out at any number of cafés as you sip tsikoudia, a grape-based brandy distilled in the hills."
"Crete was home to the Minoans, Europe's earliest civilization. Its capital, Heraklion, grew from the riches of the Venetian Empire, which ruled here for four centuries. Crete enjoyed a Renaissance building boom that helped bolster Heraklion as the region's most strongly fortified city. The island is blessed with generous beaches, soaring mountains, deep gorges and coursing rivers. It is also where the distinct mantinades—narrative couplets of love accompanied by Cretan stringed instruments—could break out at any number of cafés as you sip tsikoudia, a grape-based brandy distilled in the hills."
MT Monday, August 22, 2022, 6:09 AM - Heraklion: docks and lights of city from our balcony.
At 8:45, we met on the pier with our guide Rena (short for Irena) and the bus for tour group 23 for our (included) shore excursion "Heraklion & Archaeological Museum," starting at 9:00.
The My
Viking Journey web site described this 3-hour excursion as follows:
“A Leisurely Exploration of the Key Sites of Heraklion -- Join your guide for a short drive to Heraklion’s Old Town, passing the city’s remarkably preserved walls and Old Venetian Harbor; visit the renovated Heraklion Archaeological Museum and learn the history of the Minoan Civilization. With your guide, enjoy a short stroll to Dimokratias Square (Liberty Square), following the inviting Dedalou pedestrian way toward the city center. At Lions Square, enjoy free time and admire the Venetian-era Lions Fountain. You can also stop at the St. Titus mosque-turned-basilica, or at the city’s famed Loggia, a 16th-century Venetian masterwork of arched arcades in the Piazza dei Signori, one of Europe’s best-renovated and best-preserved monuments.
“Afterward, perhaps linger a while at a café before returning to your ship.”
“A Leisurely Exploration of the Key Sites of Heraklion -- Join your guide for a short drive to Heraklion’s Old Town, passing the city’s remarkably preserved walls and Old Venetian Harbor; visit the renovated Heraklion Archaeological Museum and learn the history of the Minoan Civilization. With your guide, enjoy a short stroll to Dimokratias Square (Liberty Square), following the inviting Dedalou pedestrian way toward the city center. At Lions Square, enjoy free time and admire the Venetian-era Lions Fountain. You can also stop at the St. Titus mosque-turned-basilica, or at the city’s famed Loggia, a 16th-century Venetian masterwork of arched arcades in the Piazza dei Signori, one of Europe’s best-renovated and best-preserved monuments.
“Afterward, perhaps linger a while at a café before returning to your ship.”
Our first stop was at the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion.
9:02 AM - Heraklion: Don's ticket, from "Monuments and Museums of Greece," for the Archaeological Museum.
The museum’s
brochure says: “The exhibition is laid out in 27 rooms on the ground and first
floors, displaying archaeological finds from Neolithic to Roman times (6th
millennium BC – 3rd century AD). The Heraklion Archaeological Museum, however,
is world famous for the masterpieces of Minoan art comprising its Prehistorical
Collection.”
9:11 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - sign for "Stone Age - Neolithic Period (7000-3000 BC).
9:12 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - clay pottery.
9:12 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - sign about "Tools - Technology and Practical Needs"; English text reads:
"Tools are an indispensible [sic!] part of Neolithic domestic equipment. They serve a variety of everyday activities, such as hunting, woodcutting, cultivation, grinding cereals, weaving and leather-working.
"Polished stone hammers, axes and chisels are typical Neolithic artefacts. They are made of common Cretan stones, such as serpentine, limestone, schist and chlorite. Bone tools, including spatulas, needles and spits, were usually made from the bones of domesticated animals, mainly sheet and goats.
"Clay spindle whorls and shuttles indicate activities associated with processing wool, spinning thread and weaving on the loom."
9:13 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - stone and bone tools just to the left of that sign.
9:13 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - sign for "Figurines - Small Images of the Neolithic World; English text reads:
"Figurines of humans, and more rarely of animals or objects, have been found inside the settlements. The body is usually rendered schematically, without indicating sex of facial features, although sometimes particular parts of the body and postures are accentuated, such as the buttocks or squatting.
The figurines are usually decorated with motifs that resemble details of clothing, armaments or tattoos
"It is believed that they served non-practical needs, were associated with symbolic rituals, had magical and apotropaic properties, and were used as amulets or even toys."
MT 9:13 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - figurine of Steatopygous Goddess from Pano Chorio.
The Steatopygous
Goddess from Pano Chorio is a clay figurine of a squatting woman from
5300-3000 BC.
9:14 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - painted pottery.
9:14 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - painted pottery.
9:15 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - just to left of painted pottery, sign hat goes with artefacts at right, for "For the Dead - From Personal Event to Communal Practices"; English text reads:
"Alongside the use of burial caves and rock-cut pits, above-ground stone tombs were constructed for the first time. These rectangular and circular tombs were used by many generations for hundreds of years. Whenever possible, the bones were moved to the sides of the chambers or transferred to the outbuildings, in order to make room for more burials. Around the tombs paved courts were laid out, in which communal funerary ceremonies were held.
"Many and varied objects have been found inside the tombs. Some of them were personal belongings of the people who were buried with them, while others were probably made specifically for the burial ceremony."
9:15 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - pottery, jewelry, and tablets with earliest type of Minoan writing.
9:16 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - at right are gold jewelry and gold leaves that were placed over the eyes of the dead.
9:16 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - gold jewelry and gold leaves that were placed over the eyes of the dead (from another side of the table).
9:17 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - sign at bottom identifies these as "Seal Imprints of Clay Lamps and Seals with Similar Motifs of Seal Surface, 2100-1800 BC." Our guide said seals were used like passports.
9:18 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - clay figurines (blurred).
The two
largest figurines in the bottom row are identified as “Cycladic figurine from Crete
2600-2300 BC.”
.jpg)
Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - Cycladic figurine from Crete 2600-2300 BC
(By Zde - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35794850).
.jpg)
Heraklion:
Archaeological Museum - Cycladic figurine from Crete, female figurine, canonical type, marble, Early Bronze Age, ca.
2600-2300 BC (By Zde, Own Work at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Archaeological_Museum_of_Heraklion_-_Cycladic-type_figurines#/media/File:Cycladic_figurine_from_Crete,_2600%E2%80%932300_BC,_AMH,_144648.jpg).
9:19 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - figurines and other objects with sign for "The Sea Roads - Grade and Foreign Influences"; English text reads (in part):
"In the 3rd millennium BC, a dense network of contacts, and perhaps [... trade] routes. extended from Crete to the Cyclades and the major centres of the [...] Aegean and Asia Minor. Sought-after raw materials not found on [Crete ...] silver, copper, lead and obsidian, were imported from the Cyclades [...] meet new production needs.
"The relatively easy maritime passages of the East [Mediterranean ...] more accessible with the development of the sailing ship [...] millennium BC. Raw materials such as gold and hippopot[amus ...] artefacts including jewelry, stone vases, scarabs and [...] Cretan contacts with Egypt and Anatolia."
9:19 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - sign for "Middle Bronze Age - Late Prepalatial Period (2200-1700 BC)."
9:20 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - painted pottery.
9:21 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - sign at right identifies this: "Bowl with figurines attached inside it depicting a shepherd and his flock."
9:21 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - bronze cooking pots and clay tripod (according to barely legible part of sign).
9:22 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - English part of sign says: "Clay sistrum, a model of a bronze percussion instrument. The sistrum, which originated in Egypt, first appeared in Crete during the Protopalatial period."
A sistrum
was a metal rattle of noisemaker consisting of a handle and a frame fitted with
loosely held rods, jingled by the ancient Egyptians in the worship of Isis.
9:25 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - English part of sign at top reads: "Cretan Hieroglyphic Script." English part of signs at top identifies objects in left column as "Phaistos," at center as "Three-Sided Inscribed Prisms," and right as "Inscribed Four-Sided Prisms and Petschafts," and far right as "Knossos." English text at bottom reads: "Cretan hieroglyphic script appeared fully developed at the end of the 18th c. BC on clay administrative documents of various kinds. The rectangular clay bars often bear logograms indicating goods and fractions. The pierced rectangular tablets may refer to economic transactions like the tablet from Malia recording thousands of [rest is cut off]."
Phaistos (also transliterated as Phaestos, Festos and
Latin Phaestus), Minoan: Pa-i-to, is a Bronze Age archaeological site at modern
Faistos, a municipality is south central Crete. Ancient Phaistos was located
about 62 km (39 mi) south of Heraklion. The site was discovered in 1853.
Excavations occurred in 1900-04 and 1950-71. After 1955, the place name
po-i-to, interpreted as Phaistos (written in Mycenaean Greek) began to turn up on
tablets in Linear B script at Knossos. No Linear B has been found at Phaistos,
but tradition and the Knossos tablets suggest that Phaistos was a dependency of
Knossos. Only a few pieces of Linear A have been found.
Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and has been called Europe’s oldest city. The palace of Knossos eventually became the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization and culture.
9:25 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - just to left of previous photo: English part of sign at top reads: "Seal Motifs." English part of signs at top identifies objects in far left column as "Hieroglyphic Inscriptions," at left center as "Decorative Motifs," right center as "Animal, Plant and Daemonic Figures," at right as "Phaistos," and at far right as "Three-Sided Inscribed Prisms." English text at bottom, under Seal Motifs columns, reads: "The introduction of the metal drill and the fixed wheel during the Protopalatial period (1900-1700 BC) meant that harder semi-precious stones could be carved, such as rock crystal. jasper, sard, agate and blue chalcedony. The seal repertoire includes religious and naturalistic themes, imaginary creatures and religious symbols, often combined with signs of Cretan Hieroglyphic script.
English text at bottom, under Phaistos column, reads: "Rectangular Linear A tablets - lists of small quantities of goods, mainly wine and grain - and clay roundels with seal inscriptions from Phaistos [rest is cut off]."
9:25 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - display case above the two jars that appeared in the preceding photo: English part of sign at top reads: Decorative Motifs." heading of English text at bottom reads: "[?] from the Palace of Phaistos," but paragraphs below it are illegible.
9:26 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - weapons found in palace. Sign at top right reads: "All these objects were status insignia, emblems of rank, office [or] authority for members of the palace hierarchy (1800-1600 BC)." Legible parts of English text of small sign at left read: "... and daggers ... 1800-1600 BC."
9:28 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - English text at top, under heading "Palatial Pottery Kamares Ware," reads: "The famous Kamares Ware, one of the most ornamental styles in the history of pottery, is named after the Kamares Cave where the vessels were first found. These are luxury vessels produced by palace workshops, mainly those of Phaistos and Knossos (1900-1700 BC).
"Their multiformity and innovative polychrome decoration are accompanied by high craftsmanship, as we can see from the finely made 'eggshell' cups. The original and elaborate new shapes are combined with impressive decoration of white and red, purple or orange on black, forming inexhaustible combinations of motifs. Spirals and whorls, rosettes and tassels, petals and shoots, swirl, radiate and circle across the vessels, making each one unique. "On some early Kamares pots the decoration is applied to a raised surface, while applied elements are added to some examples of the mature phase.
"Kamares Ware, much sought-after both in Crete and outside it, was a luxury product of the Minoan export trade, found throughout the Mediterranean, from the Cyclades and the Peloponnese to Cyprus, Egypt and Syro-Palestine."
9:28 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - Kamares Ware, with part of same sign at top right.
9:28 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - more colorful pottery, some with spirals or whorls, probably the "Kamares Ware" mentioned in the otherwise unclear small sign below bottom shelf.
9:29 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - more colorful pottery, some with spirals or whorls, probably Kamares Ware.
9:29 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - more colorful pottery, some with spirals or whorls, probably Kamares Ware; our guide Rena in background.
9:30 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - view, from other side, of same colorful pottery, some with spirals or whorls, probably Kamares Ware.
9:30 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - more colorful pottery, some with spirals or whorls, probably Kamares Ware.
9:31 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum - sign for "Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial Period (1700-1450 BC).
9:32 AM -
Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – Clay model of Minoan house (1600 BC).
Clay model
of a Minoan house (1600 BC). Detailed rendering of the outer facades and
features of the archaeological design, such as the entrance and windows, a residence
room with a central column on the ground floor, the lightwell onto which a
double door opens, the ramp leading to the upper story, and a balcony, on which
the lower part of a human figure is preserved.
9:34 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – equipment of the Palace of Knossos and houses. English text of sign at top right under heading "The Equipment of the Palace and Houses" (cut off at far right) reads:
"In the palace and town of Knossos objects of exceptional quality ha[...] by specialised workshops for the use of the ruling and prosperous [...] and vessels with elaborate relief decoration, bronze vessels, and vo[...] compositions or inlaid and covered in fine gold leaf, served every p[ossible] purpose. On pottery, dark-on-light decorations now predominated.
"In the mature phase of this period, the time of greatest prosperity, Mino[a ...] its peak. This is the pottery of the so-called "Special Palatial Tradition" [...] workshops, mostly those of Knossos. These elegant vases are decorated [...] stylized motifs and particularly with subjects from the vegetable and s[... de]termined the "Floral Style." Exquisite vases were [...] such as the "Reed Painter", the "Olive Spray Painter", the "Marine Style Mas[ter ...[ Painter", whose works have also been found beyond Knossos, at other [...].
9:34 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – game called "Draughtboard" (or Chessboard) our guide Rena said was like backgammon.
9:34 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – sign with English test under the heading "The 'Draughtboard' " reads:
"A board game inlaid with ivory, blue glass paste and rock crystal, plated with gold and silver. Four large, conical ivory gaming pieces correspond to circular areas of the 'Draughtboard.' This is a particularly complex and luxurious artefact, which bears witness to the high standard of living in the palace and the artistic capabilities of Knossian workshops. Similar, simpler objects have been found in Egypt and the East Palace of Knossos. 1700-1450 BC."
The English
use “draughts” for the game of checkers.
The Knossos
board game, known in Greek as Zatrikion, dates from about 1600 BC and was
discovered in 1901 during archaeological excavations of the Knossos Palace. The
rectangular piece, beautifully crafted with valuable materials, is on a wooden
base. There is only one copy of this game in the world. The game most probably
belonged to a member of the Minoan royal family.
9:35 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – the "Draughtboard" game from another angle.
9:36 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – clay object with sign, the English part of which reads: "Cylindrical stand for a clay offering vessel with relief decoration of dolphins and seashells, and other vases on the early Neopalatial period. Phaistos palace. 1700-1600 BC."
Then we came to a large wooden model of the Palace of Knossos.
9:37 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – wooden model of Knossos Palace (north side?), with our guide Rena on the far right side and clay model of Minoan house on pedestal in background.
Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site
on Crete. The Palace of Knossos eventually became the ceremonial and
political center of the Minoan civilization and culture. The “palace” was never
just a residence of the monarch, although it contained rooms that might have
been suitable for a royal family. Most of the structures, however, were designed
to serve a civic, religious, and economic center. The 1,300 rooms are connected
with corridors of various size and direction, which differ from other
contemporaneous palaces that connected the rooms via main hallways. The features
of the palace depend on the time period. Currently visible is an accumulation
of features over several centuries, the latest most dominant.
.jpg)
Palace of Knossos – restored north entrance with charging bull fresco (By
Bernard Gagnon - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20916502).
9:37 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – another side of wooden model of Knossos Palace, our guide Rena in foreground.
9:39 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – another side of wooden model of Knossos Palace, with our guide Rena in foreground.
9:32 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – that same side of wooden model of Knossos Palace, without our guide Rena in foreground.
9:40 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – another side of wooden model of Knossos Palace (possibly with Phaistos Disc in case on pedestal in right background).
9:45 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – Phaistos Disc (unfortunately blurred).
The Phaistos
Disc is a disk of fired clay from the Minoan palace of Phaistos on Crete,
possibly dating to the middle of the late Minoan Bronze Age (2nd millennium
BC). It is covered on both sides with a spiral of stamped symbols. Its purpose
and its original place of manufacture remain disputed. It features 242 tokens,
comprising 45 distinct signs, which were apparently made by pressing
hieroglyphic “seals” into a disc of soft clay in a clockwise spiraling sequence
toward the center of the disc. Many of the signs represent easily identifiable
objects, such as plants. There have been many unsuccessful attempts to decipher
the signs.
.jpg)
Heraklion:
Archaeological Museum – Phaistos Disc (side A) (By C messier - Own work, CC
BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38737955).
.jpg)
Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – Phaistos Disc (side B) (By C messier - Own
work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38737953).
9:45 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – clay tablets.
9:45 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – sign to left of clay tablets; English text, under heading "Scripts and Sealing Practices," reads:
"As with the palatial societies of Egypt and the Near East, a combined writing and sealing system was developed in Crete with the purpose of administering resources and labour. The Cretan Hieroglyphic script remained in use for over a century after the foundation of the new palaces, until it was gradually replaced by Liner A. Although it has not yet been deciphered, it has been established that ninety of its signs represented syllables, while various logograms signified objects, products or living creatures. By inscribing these signs on small rectangular tablets of unbaked clay, specialized scribes kept records of agricultural products (figs, wheat, olives, wine and olive oil), textiles and vessels, humans and animals (sheep, goats, oxen, pigs).
"A decimal counting system with subdivisions was also developed to facilitate transactions. The control of stored and traded goods was based on clay administrative documents, such as roundels, noduli of various shapes, and many types of sealings, often bearing Hieroglyphic or Linear A inscriptions."
9:48 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – bronze fishhooks and other practical objects; English part of small sign reads:
"Carbonized figs and olives, limpets and other shellfish. Hagia Triada, Zakros, Poros, 1600-1500 BC.
"Tripod tray with six circular holes for placing cups. Knossos, 1600-1500 BC.
"Cooking utensils, bronze tongs and clay grills. Zakros and Palaikastro, 1600-1500 BC.
"Bronze fishhooks of various sizes. Gournia and Poros, 1600-1500 BC."
MT 9:48 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – bronze tongs and clay grill.
9:48 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – Bull Leaper figurine.
A similar
photo on Wikimedia Commons is identified as “The Bull Leaper (c. 1500
BC), an ivory figurine from the palace of Knossos.”
9:52 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – Sign for "Athletes and Acrobats - Bull Leaping" with English text that reads:
"An important aspect of Minoan public life was the organised spectacles at which trained athletes engaged in contests of strength, endurance and skill.
"Particularly popular were the difficult and dangerous bull-leaping, bull-hunting and perhaps boar-hunting contests, wrestling, boxing and sports displaying tactics, ability and skill, such as foot races, chariot racing and somersaulting.
"The most spectacular Minoan acrobatic sport was bull-leaping, in which young, trained athletes made a dangerous leap over the horns and back of a charging bull. Athletes of both sexes took part, as we can see from the color of their skin, dark for men and white for women. The bull-leaping extravaganza is summarily depicted on a series of wall paintings, gold rings and seals forming an image identified with Minoan Crete and the glory of Knossos in particular.
"The contests would have been held in large, outdoor spaces or even in the courts of the palaces. The spirit of competition and excellence first cultivated by the Minoans was revived centuries later in the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece, whose establishment was linked by mythological tradition to Crete.
"In the games areas of Minoan Crete the picture of a large crowd of excited spectators, impulsively and passionately identifying themselves with the contestants would not have been very different to the atmosphere of the stadium and the arena in the ancient and even the modern world."
MT 9:51 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – large clay pots' the English part of the sign behind them reads, under the heading "Storage and Storage Pithoi" [sic!] reads:
"During the Neopalatial period the size and number of storage vessels increased. This was probably due to the rise in population, more intensive farming and organised administration of production.
"Pithoi of various shapes and sizes have been found in palaces, peripheral central buildings and houses. Organic residue analyses have shown that they contained solid and liquid goods such as grain, pulses [sic!], wine and olive oil. Many ;pithoi were very large, with elaborate relief decoration, serving as displays of wealth and prestige.
"The site of the storerooms, combined with the high storage capacity of the pithoi, is evidence of distribution mechanism and a complex economic organisation."
[In our afternoon tour of "Villages of Crete," we would visit a pottery workshop where such pots are still made, and we would learn more about pithoi (singular pithos), which are also known as pitharia (singular pithari) in Crete.]
9:52 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – women dancing in a circle; English text at bottom left (partially cut off) reads: "...cting women dancing in a circle to the ... lyre held by a woman. Palaikastro, 1350 BC."
9:53 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – wall painting of a (dark-skinned male) bull leaper with two white-skinned (female) figures at the sides.
MT 9:54 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – fragment of wall painting of (dark-skinned male) runners.
"Fragment of a fresco probably depicting a running military detachment.
"The leader of the file, wearing a Minoan loincloth and holding two spears, has been named the 'Captain of the Blacks' because he is followed by two men painted black, perhaps African soldiers in the service of the palace.
"This is probably a depiction of an exercise or sport similar to the ancient Greek 'hoplite race.' Knossos House of the Frescoes, 1350-1300 BC."
9:58 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – sign for "Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial Period (1700-1450 BC."
"The so-called Ring of Minos is a magnificent piece of Minoan [jewelry-] making and an artwork of paramount importance for understanding religious iconography. The [...] image on the [b... summarizes] the three levels of epiphany. The goddess is depicted hovering in the air in miniature form, seated on a stepped platform topped with [horns} of [consecration] and [...ing] and stearing a boat with a [sarcophagus-...]. These scenes of [...]-cult by a male and female [...] the composition.
"The passage of the goddess through the three [central] elements of air, land and sea serves as a symbolic unification of the [natural] world and [...dly] imposes the message of Minoan power over land and sea. Knossos, 1450-1400 BC."
The Ring
of Minos is a gold seal ring that depicts the epiphany of a Minoan goddess,
who appears at once in three elements—air, earth, and water, linking her to the
entire universe. The representation is divided into two levels. The lower level
depicts the sea, being crossed by a boat. In the boat is a woman’s figure,
probably paddling. Around the sea are three parts of the shore. On the right
side is a tree that a woman’s figure is trying to pull down. In the middle is a
mountain, on which there is probably an altar with a tree on it; that tree is again
pulled by a smaller figure. On the other side, on the upper level, is a figure
sitting on a settlement. Between this figure and the central figure is a small
female figure who seems to be in the sky or descend from it.
The ring was probably from Knossos, since it was discovered in the ruins of Knossos in 1928 by a 10-year-old boy. Although authorities at that time declared it a fake, and it remained lost for 73 years, until it was found during the restoration of a house and given to authorities in 2001. In 2002, a committee of Greek and international archaeologists, after careful examination, proved its authenticity, and it is now believed to be 3,500 years old. It is from the Late Neopalatial period, 1500-1400 BC. The ring is regarded as one of the most significant symbols of the Minoan civilization.
Local lore said that King Minos, the mythical king of Crete, hurled his ring into the Aegean Sea, only for it to be found by Theseus, the hero who killed the Minotaur in the Knossos labyrinth.
The ring was probably from Knossos, since it was discovered in the ruins of Knossos in 1928 by a 10-year-old boy. Although authorities at that time declared it a fake, and it remained lost for 73 years, until it was found during the restoration of a house and given to authorities in 2001. In 2002, a committee of Greek and international archaeologists, after careful examination, proved its authenticity, and it is now believed to be 3,500 years old. It is from the Late Neopalatial period, 1500-1400 BC. The ring is regarded as one of the most significant symbols of the Minoan civilization.
Local lore said that King Minos, the mythical king of Crete, hurled his ring into the Aegean Sea, only for it to be found by Theseus, the hero who killed the Minotaur in the Knossos labyrinth.
.jpg)
Heraklion:
Archaeological Museum – Ring of Minos (By Olaf Tausch - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52077735).
MT 10:02 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – two figurines of Snake Goddesses.
"The most important cult objects from the Knossos Temple Repositories are the figurines of the 'Snake Goddess.' They are named after the snakes twining around the body and arms of the larger figure, and the two snakes that the smaller figure holds in her upraised hands.
"The snakes symbolise the chthonic character of the cult of the goddess, while the feline creature of the head of the smaller figure suggests her dominion over wildlife. The goddesses wear luxurious garments, consisting of a long flounced skirt, an embroidered apron and a close-fitting bodice that exposes the large breasts, symbolic of the fertility of women, the goddess and, by implication, nature itself.
"The large rock-crystal rosette and stone cross are astral symbols. Knossos-Temple Repositories, 1650-1550 BC."
Webster’s
defines chthonian (presumably also chthonic) as “of the gods and
spirits of the underworld; applied to such Greek gods as distinguished from
those of Olympus.”
10:03 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – English part of sign for "Late Bronze Age - Final Palatial Period (1450-1300 BC)."
"The 3,400 clay tablets inscribed in the Liner B script from the palace of Knossos form part of the archives maintained by the new dynasty, which established itself at the palace following the destruction of most Minoan political centres in 1450 BC. In contrast to the preceding Linear A, which recorded the unknown language of the Minoans, the tablets in the new symbolic Linear B script, dated to circa 1425-1300 BC, are the earliest known texts written in Greek. They were temporary lists of accounts and recordings of goods, military equipment, palace officials and dependants [sic!], and ritual offerings. They have been incised into wet clay by 100 different scribes, and preserved because they were accidentally baked by the fire that destroyed the palace.
"The signs of Linear B script, with borrowings from the earlier Linear A, comprise 89 syllabograms corresponding phonetically to syllables. They also include logograms, which were used as abbreviations of the commodities recorded, together with numerical symbols indicating quantities and units of weight and capacity. The long, thin 'palm-leaf' tablets were used for individual registrations, while the rectangular 'page' tablets were used for detailed or summarizing entries.
"Brief inscriptions are also found on sealings, i.e. lumps of clay stamped with seal imprints and used to label goods, and on clay stirrup jars for the transportation and storage of liquids such as olive oil and wine."
A syllabogram
is a written symbol representing a single syllable of a word. A logogram
is a written letter, symbol, sign, or character representing an entire word or
phrase.
10:08 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – bronze helmet, with bronze spearhead and sword.
10:08 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – helmet made of boar tusks, with bronze sword and spearhead.
"Restored boar's-tusk helmet with cheek-guards, of which the boar's tusks are preserved, cut into regular pieces and pierced to be sewn onto an inner leather base. Such was the helmet of Cretan hero Meriones, described in Homer's Iliad. Its special structure indicates that the boar's-tusk helmet was primarily a symbol of rank and office rather than a standard element of defensive equipment. Apart from Crete, similar helmets have also been found in Mainland Greece.
"Bronze spearhead with butterfly incised on the blade and lance-head, Knossos-[Zaifer Papouro and Venizeleio], 1450-1300 BC."
10:09 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – sign for "Late Bronze Age - Postpalatial Period (1300-1100 BC)."
10:10 AM -
Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – terracotta figurines of Greek goddesses with
upraised arms.
The
Wikipedia entry for the museum identifies the each of these figurines in this photo
as “Greek goddess with upraised arms, terracotta, [from] Gazi near Heraklion
(1300-1100 BC)’ or “Minoan praying woman.”
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Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – terracotta figurine of “poppy goddess” (By Jebulon - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40804429).
The tallest
of the figurines displayed here is often called the “poppy goddess.” It is
a famous example of a distinctive terracotta figurine in Minoan art, presumably
a goddess, but thought to be a votive offering rather than a cult image. It was
discovered in a sanctuary of the Postpalatial period (1400-1100 BC) at Gázi,
Crete, near Heraklion. The name comes from the shape of the terminals of opium
poppy seedheads rising from the diadem on the head. Other figures have
different ornaments on the head, including many birds and the Horns of Consecration
symbol. They have a round “skirt,” shaped like a vessel and formed on a potter’s
wheel, after which the upper body was hand-formed while the clay was still
malleable. Some have feet peeping out from under their skirt. They always have
raised hands, normally with palms pointing sideways or out, and there is often
a hole at the top of the head, perhaps to help firing, while the openings at
the ears may be intended to suggest readiness to hear prayers. The figurines
found at Gazi, which are larger than any previously produced on Minoan Crete
(the poppy goddess in 79 cm tall), are rendered in an extremely stylized
manner. The bodies are rigid, the skirts simple cylinders, and the poses
stereotyped.
10:10 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – miniature figures.
10:12 AM -
Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – coffins (larnakes); the larger one is
painted with birds, carriage, and seascape; our guide said Minoans were buried
in "embryonic" (fetal) position, as they had come into the world.
A larnax
(pl. larnakes) is a small, closed coffin, box, or “ash chest” often used in the
Minoan civilization and in Ancient Greece as a container for human remains—either
a corpse or cremated ashes. The first larnkes appeared in the Minoan period,
when they took the form of ceramic or terracotta coffers designed to imitate
wooden chests, perhaps on the pattern of Egyptian linen chests. The larnax was
the standard type of coffin in Crete from the early 14th century to the 12th
century BC.
10:13 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – Hagia Triada Sarcophagus - side with bull sacrifice.
10:15 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – Hagia Triada Sarcophagus - other side.
"Limestone sarcophagus depicting ritual ceremonies in honour of the dead, and transcendental scenes associated with afterlife beliefs regarding the deceased. The scenes are painted using the fresco technique.
"On one long side, on the right, the dead man is depicted wearing a long tunic in front of a building, perhaps the tomb itself. He is receiving offerings of a boat and animals. On the left, priestesses accompanied by a lyre are pouring libations into a bucket between columns surmounted by double axes, on which perch birds symbolising the presence of the deity. On the other long side is a bull sacrifice. The animal, trussed to a table, is being sacrificed to the accompaniment of a double flute and offerings made by a priestess at an altar, in front of a sanctuary crowned with horns of consecration and enclosing a tree. Between the sanctuary and the tree is a pole with a double axe, on which sits a bird indicating the epiphany of the deity. On the two narrow sides are depicted goddesses in chariots drawn by griffins and horses or wild goats, and a procession of men.
"The sarcophagus was found in a rectangular built tomb and belonged to a ruler who, as the images narrate, was splendidly honoured after his death by the palatial priesthood and the gods, on earth and in the hereafter. Hagia Tirada, 1370-1300 BC."
The Hagia
Triada Sarcophagus was excavated from a chamber tomb at Hagia Triada
(meaning Holy Trinity), Crete in 1903. It is the only limestone sarcophagus of
its era discovered to date. Also, uniquely for such a piece from this date, it
is coated in plaster and painted in fresco on all its faces. Unlike the
Egyptians, the Minoans normally used frescoes only to decorate palaces and
houses for the enjoyment of the living, not for funerary use. Given its size
(54-in long) and elaborate decoration, this sarcophagus was probably intended
for the burial of a prince. There are a number of smaller terracotta coffins (larnakes),
painted far more crudely, usually in a single color.
10:16 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – more small coffins and one larger sarcophagus, plus two bathtub-shaped items in foreground.
Having completed our tour of the ground floor, we went up to the first (US second) floor exhibit of Minoan frescoes, which the Museum brochure described as "famous works inspired by the life of the court and nature."
10:18 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – fresco with figure-eights and swirls.
This Minoan
fresco of a figure-eight shield js from the Knossos Palace, from the Final Palatial Period
(1450-1300 BC).
10:19 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – MT listening to our guide Rena telling about the "Prince of the Lilies" fresco; she said that the prince has pink skin, while other people were either black (low class) or white (aristocratic).
10:19 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – the "Prince of the Lilies" fresco.
"The 'Prince of the Lilies', an emblematic image of Minoan Crete, was part of a larger mural composition in high relief. The figure, composed of three non-joining parts, is portrayed life-size, wearing a richly colored kilt with a codpiece and belt and a majestic crown on his head adorned with papyrus-lilies and peacock feathers. According to the excavator of Knossos, Arthur Evans, he was the 'Ruler of Knossos', the 'Priest-King', a personification of religious and secular authority. However, other scholars suggest different reconstructions and interpretations, according to which the 'Prince' may be an athlete, a boxer, or a commanding ruler, while the crown is attributed to a priestess or a sphinx. Knossos, Palace, Neopalatial period (1600-1450 BC)."
10:20 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – Egyptian-like fresco of griffins with wings, in high relief.
"The fresco of high-relief Griffins tethered to columns decorated the 'Great East Hall' of the palace of Knossos. The decoration of the hall also included religious emblems and representations in relief of boxing and bull-leaping games. According to Arthur Evans, this hall, located next to the 'Grand Staircase', was used for official ceremonies by the palace rulers. Knossos, Palace, Neopalatial period (1600-1450 BC)."
10:21 AM - Heraklion: Archaeological Museum – the "Ladies in Blue" fresco.
The “Ladies
in Blue” fresco is from antechamber of throne room of Knossos main palace. It
depicts three women with hair styles similar to the modern ponytail and has
been dated as far back as 1600-1450 BC. Fragments of this fresco were
discovered in the early 20th century. It was then recreated by a Swiss artist
and archaeologist, but the validity of his reconstructions has long been
debated. The fragments are preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion.
Leaving the Archaeological Museum, our guide Rena had us wait outside for a while before we went with her to see a bit of the city.
10:52 AM - Heraklion: outside Archaeological Museum – view down street to a Venetian-style building that now is the Palace of Justice (according to the sign, in Greek, over the door).
10:55 AM - Heraklion: Lions Square (Eleftheriou
Venizelou Square).
Lions
Square, near the
Archaeological Museum, is a popular Heraklion meeting point and the main square
of Heraklion. Although the official name is Eleftheriou Venizelou Square,
after the Cretan statesman and former prime minister of Greece Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936), the area is
known as Lions Square thanks to the four lions supporting the main basin of the
ornate Morosini fountain. The busy square, now lined with cafés and restaurants,
has quite a history. During Arab rule (900-1000 AD), it was home to the largest
slave market in the eastern Mediterranean. Under Venetian rule (13th-17th
centuries), it housed the palace of the Venetian duke of Crete. The stone
fountain designed by Francesco Morosini (1619-1694, Doge of Venice 1688-1694) was
installed then to bring in fresh drinking water via a 9-mile aqueduct. For centuries,
this fountain provided the locals with clear drinking water. Apart from the
lions, the fountain is also decorated with dolphins, nymphs, and several
mythical creatures that were linked to water.
10:56 AM - Heraklion: Morosini fountain in Lions Square (Eleftheriou Venizelou Square).
From Eleftheriou Venizelou Square, we headed southeast on the pedestrianized Daidalou street.
10:57 AM - Heraklion: sign for Daidalou street at the corner with Plateia Ele[ftheriou] Venizelou.
Our guide Rena told us that the architects of the Palace of Knossos were Daidalos and his son Ikaros, whom the king hired from the mainland. They wanted to go home, but the king kept them prisoners on Crete until the palace was finished. They got some wax and made wings to fly across the sea. The father told his son not to fly close to the sun, but Ikaros did so anyway. The wax melted, and he fell into the sea.
Daedalus (Daidalos in Greek, with possessive Daidalou), a mythological character,
was a skillful architect and craftsman and the father of Icarus (Ikaros). Among
his most famous creations was the Labyrinth he built for King Minos of Crete,
in which the Minotaur was imprisoned. The name Daidalos was first mentioned in
roughly 1400 BC on Knossian tablets in Linear B script. Daedalus is not
mentioned again in literature until the 5th century BC. Ovid, in his Metamorphoses,
suggests that Daedalus constructed the Labyrinth so cunningly that he himself
could barely escape it after he built it. That work of Ovid has the most famous
telling of Daedalus’ wings. Daedalus and his son Icarus were imprisoned by King
Minos in the Labyrinth. They could not leave Crete by sea, since King Minos
kept close watch on all vessels. So Daedalus set to work making wings for
himself and his son.
10:57 AM - Heraklion: view down street toward Vasiliki Agios Markos Municipal Gallery, on right.
Municipal
(Art) Gallery of Heraklion is housed
in former Vasiliki Agios Markos (Basilica of St. Mark), which was built
in 1239 AD by the Venetians and dedicated to the patron saint of Venice. For
four centuries, it served as the main cathedral of the city. Later it was rebuilt
after an earthquake that took place in 1303. During the Ottoman era, the Turks destroyed
the bell tower and modified the building into a Muslim mosque in 1669, which it
remained until, after the war with the Turks in 1922, is was taken under the
jurisdiction of the National Bank of Greece. In 1956, it came under the city administration.
After restoration and reconstruction, the city gave the building back to the
community, and the Company of Cretan and Historical Studies transformed it into
its current shape as the Municipal Art Gallery.
10:58 AM - Heraklion: Vasiliki Agios Markos Municipal Gallery; large sign ()in Greek) to right of entrance, transliterates as "Dimotiki Pinakothiki" (Municipal Art Gallery), and smaller sign (in English) to left of entrance reads: "Municipal Gallery of St. Mark."
10:58 AM - Heraklion: view down street toward Venetian Loggia (City Hall), on right.
The Venetian
Loggia of Heraklion was built in 1626-28 by the Venetian Francesco Morozini,
an architect who had also constructed many other public works in the city, including
the nearby Lions Fountain. There were three earlier loggias, but they were not
functional until this last one was constructed. A loggia (Italian word
for “lodge”) was a place for the Venetian noblemen to gather and discuss the
local economic, commercial, political, and social issues. This is a rectangular
building with an open adit (entrance) on the ground floor. The ground floor was
built in the Doric style, which is austere and severe, while the upper floors
had a more Ionian style, with ornaments and nice decorations. When the Ottoman
Turks came to Crete, they made the Loggia their administrative center. When
Crete became autonomous in 1896, the Loggia was in a bad state and in danger of
collapse. Renovation work started in 1915 but was interrupted by WWII in 1940.
Today, the Loggia of Heraklion has been fully renovated and houses the City Hall.
It is considered the most elegant Venetian building in Crete, an excellent
example of the Palladian style.
10:58 AM - Heraklion: Venetian Loggia (City Hall); English part of maroon signs on near corner read "Venetian Loggia" and "City Hall."
10:58 AM - Heraklion: shop on left side of that street with dried tomatoes and garlic, with sign below, the English part of which reads: "Air Conditioned Area."
11:01 AM - Heraklion: Church of Agios Titos.
The Church
of Agios Titos (St. Titus) is a former 19th-century mosque that is now a
Greek Orthodox church. After the division of the Roman Empire in 395 AD, Crete
came under Byzantine rule. Successful Christianization made it necessary to
build a new church in the Cretan capital of Gortyn around 600. When the
Saracens conquered Crete around 826, they destroyed Gortyn and the church and
founded Crete’s new capital in Heraklion. In 960, the Byzantine Emperor
Nicephorus Phokas reconquered Crete and expelled the Arabs. To strengthen the
Christian faith in Crete, he constructed an Orthodox church, on the site of the
present church, in 962 and dedicated it to St. Titus, a disciple of the Apostle
Paul and the first Bishop of Crete. After the Fourth Crusade of 1204, Crete
fell to the Venetians and the church became Roman Catholic. In 1669, the Turks
again conquered Crete, and the church was converted into a mosque. In 1856,
that structure was totally destroyed by an earthquake and was rebuilt as a mosque
in the Ottoman style in 1872. In 1920, when the last Ottomans left Crete, the
minaret was destroyed. After its renovation in 1925, the building has again
functioned as an Orthodox church.
11:02 AM - Heraklion: another Venetian building, with balcony.
At this point, our guide Rena said people could choose to go back to the ship with her (on the bus near the Museum) or stay in town and take a shuttle from Liberty Square (some of out group had done that already back when we first left the Museum), or we could continue down the same street, which would lead us back to the ship on foot. We chose the latter, but found no easy way to get back to the ship.
11:10 AM - Heraklion: a bastion of the city wall, as we went along the harbor.
11:10 AM - Heraklion: ruins near the harbor as we tried to walk to our ship.
Going along the harbor in this direction, we asked a guard at an entrance for other ships, and she told us to go back to the terminal we had just passed, and there would be a bus there that would take us back to our Viking ship; that was the only way, since it was not possible to walk to our pier. We found the bus with a Viking sign in its front window, and it took us right to the ship's gangway.
Back on the Viking Sky, we ate lunch at the Pool Grill--our regular seared ahi tuna steak. Then we each had one dip of ice cream at the World Café.
At 1:15, we went out to the pier to meet our group and guide Rita for the optional shore excursion "The Villages of Crete." This was one of the few days that we were able to schedule one excursion in the morning and another in the afternoon.
The Viking
web site describes the 3-hour excursion “The Villages of Crete” as
follows:
“Visit Prolific Centers of Minoan-Era Wine and Pottery
“Delve into a quiet and traditional way of life during visits to two of Crete’s most beloved villages. Join your guide for a drive through the island’s unspoiled landscapes. You will soon arrive in the village of Peza, which has been at the center of one of the most important wine growing areas of Crete since Minoan times. Its sweet wines are known throughout the world and you will pass by its traditional vineyards and visit the winery for a tasting and a sample of locally made products. Afterward, proceed to Thrapsano village, which is renowned throughout Crete for its Thrapsano potters, considered descendants of the Minoans. Artisans here produce the large traditional storage jars known as pitharia, whose design has changed little since the Minoan era. You can take some time to watch the potters at work before you return to your ship.
“Visit Prolific Centers of Minoan-Era Wine and Pottery
“Delve into a quiet and traditional way of life during visits to two of Crete’s most beloved villages. Join your guide for a drive through the island’s unspoiled landscapes. You will soon arrive in the village of Peza, which has been at the center of one of the most important wine growing areas of Crete since Minoan times. Its sweet wines are known throughout the world and you will pass by its traditional vineyards and visit the winery for a tasting and a sample of locally made products. Afterward, proceed to Thrapsano village, which is renowned throughout Crete for its Thrapsano potters, considered descendants of the Minoans. Artisans here produce the large traditional storage jars known as pitharia, whose design has changed little since the Minoan era. You can take some time to watch the potters at work before you return to your ship.
With our guide Rita, we boarded bus 35, but she had trouble with the QuietVox and had us change to channel 28 and then never used it. On the bus, she spoke on the PA system, and off the bus, she just had us stay close to her.
Our first stop was at the Minos Miliarakis Winery in Peza.
1:42 PM - Peza: poster for "MINOS" in room where we watched a video about the winery.
The winery’s
web site gives the following history:
“THE PIONEERS OF WIMEMAKING AND BOTTLING
“The story of the renowned MINOS Cretan wines starts unravelling in the mid [19th] century, when Antonis Miliarakis left the village of Miliarado in the province of Viannos, in Crete, and settled in the region of Peza, 17 km south of Heraklion. Peza was a riders’ resting area, where horses were fed and riders relaxed and spent the night before setting off the next morning for Chandakas or Melago Castro—which was the Heraklion was known by [at] that time—the gates [of] which opened in the morning and closed in the evening. Thus, Peza was the perfect place for inns, taverns and coffee shops to be established.
“During the last years of Ottoman rule, those who anticipated what the future held, bought land and fields from the Ottomans who lived in the village, who were gradually abandoning Crete; this meant that many Peza locals found themselves the proud owners of noteworthy real estate during the first years of the Cretan State (1989 [sic! = 1898]-1913.
With the end of Ottoman rule and the abolition of closing the gates into Chandakas, the role played by Peza as a place for lodging became obsolete and economic activity in the area turned to wine trading.
“Many wine merchants were active during the 1870-1930 period: they bought grapes from farmers in the region, pressed them in their own presses, stored the wine in wooden barrels and then sold it on to the domestic market, in Emparo, Viannos, Lasithi, Messara, and Heraklion. This was the economic and business environment in which the Miliarakis brothers business grew: they turned Antonaki’s Inn, which had provided travellers with a plate of hot food and a glass of wine since the 19th century, into a winery.
“In 1932 the company took on a legal form and was structured as a model winery by chemist-oenologist Iosiph Antoniou Miliarakis. Along with his brothers Minas, Mattheos and Nikolaos, Iosiph founded the first modern industrial winery in Peza, under the brand name MINOS, transforming traditional crafts of wine production and trade into industry, with the help of the first oil engines."
“THE PIONEERS OF WIMEMAKING AND BOTTLING
“The story of the renowned MINOS Cretan wines starts unravelling in the mid [19th] century, when Antonis Miliarakis left the village of Miliarado in the province of Viannos, in Crete, and settled in the region of Peza, 17 km south of Heraklion. Peza was a riders’ resting area, where horses were fed and riders relaxed and spent the night before setting off the next morning for Chandakas or Melago Castro—which was the Heraklion was known by [at] that time—the gates [of] which opened in the morning and closed in the evening. Thus, Peza was the perfect place for inns, taverns and coffee shops to be established.
“During the last years of Ottoman rule, those who anticipated what the future held, bought land and fields from the Ottomans who lived in the village, who were gradually abandoning Crete; this meant that many Peza locals found themselves the proud owners of noteworthy real estate during the first years of the Cretan State (1989 [sic! = 1898]-1913.
With the end of Ottoman rule and the abolition of closing the gates into Chandakas, the role played by Peza as a place for lodging became obsolete and economic activity in the area turned to wine trading.
“Many wine merchants were active during the 1870-1930 period: they bought grapes from farmers in the region, pressed them in their own presses, stored the wine in wooden barrels and then sold it on to the domestic market, in Emparo, Viannos, Lasithi, Messara, and Heraklion. This was the economic and business environment in which the Miliarakis brothers business grew: they turned Antonaki’s Inn, which had provided travellers with a plate of hot food and a glass of wine since the 19th century, into a winery.
“In 1932 the company took on a legal form and was structured as a model winery by chemist-oenologist Iosiph Antoniou Miliarakis. Along with his brothers Minas, Mattheos and Nikolaos, Iosiph founded the first modern industrial winery in Peza, under the brand name MINOS, transforming traditional crafts of wine production and trade into industry, with the help of the first oil engines."
1:57 PM - Peza: lady serving white wine for tasting.
2:08 PM - Peza: people at next table being served red wine; MT in right foreground still has some of her white wine.
2:15 PM - Peza: red wine (this was all we got to taste!}.
2:17 PM - Peza: paper on our table with "Steps of Wine Tasting."
MT 2:13 PM - Peza: bottom left corner of that paper gave the full name of the "Minos - Miliarakis Winery" and its web site, telephone number and email address.
On the back of that
paper was a list of prices of their bottles of wine. We were going to get one
bottle of sweet red and one of medium sweet white (€6 each), but Don couldn’t find his debit card
in his wallet. We thought he might have left in in the safe in our stateroom,
but he later found it out of place in his wallet.
After the tasting, while others bought things in the winery's shop, we looked around at displays in the store area.
2:24 PM - Peza: a traditional wine press; the English part of the sign said "Traditional Wine Plant," but the German part got it right.
2:27 PM - Peza: sign about "Wines of Crete" with "MINOS Crete" and "OINOPOIEIO (winery) Miliarakis."
Next, our bus took us to a pottery workshop in the village of Thrapsano.
2:57 PM - Thrapsano: sign for "Pottery Workshop 'N. Ploumakis' Thrapsano Tel 41421."
The history
of Thrapsano is directly linked to pottery. The village, roughly 30 km
southeast of Heraklion, has been one of the biggest pottery centers of Crete
over the centuries, and potters here consider themselves to be successors of Minoan
pottery. If the Thrapsaniotes (people of Thrapsano) trace the history of ventema,
from father to son, they can get to the potters who built the kiln of Istrona in
Eastern Crete in Roman times. Thrapsaniotes have been dealing with pottery
since the Byzantine era. In Turkish files, Thrapsano is also called “Village of
Potters.”
In order to make big pots (pitharia), which were difficult to move because of their weight and size, a specific activity called “ventema” was developed. During the summer, potters from Thrapsano used to settle down in small groups in various parts of Crete, where raw materials were available. There they used to manufacture and sell their products including pitharia and other earthen vessels. About 180 “ventemarika” kilns were scattered throughout the island. The workshops of the potters consisted of small groups of people, each of which was responsible for a specific task related to the complex process of pottery making. Each year, these groups used to leave from Thrapsano on May 21 and return in early September. The art of pottery in the “ventema” process continued to be practiced until it gradually ceased at the end of the 1960s, when the traditional techniques of ceramics started to end.
Since the 1970s, there have been permanent pottery workshops around the village of Thrapsano, in each case named after their owners. These workshops have modern equipment with new technologies, but they do not cease to be inspired by the traditional pottery of Crete, from which several morphological and decorative elements are derive. Modern means of transport have enabled the trade of the pitharia all over the world, where they often decorate the courtyards of houses and hotels. The pitharia and other earthen vessels are seen nowadays more as decorative items than as utensils.
In order to make big pots (pitharia), which were difficult to move because of their weight and size, a specific activity called “ventema” was developed. During the summer, potters from Thrapsano used to settle down in small groups in various parts of Crete, where raw materials were available. There they used to manufacture and sell their products including pitharia and other earthen vessels. About 180 “ventemarika” kilns were scattered throughout the island. The workshops of the potters consisted of small groups of people, each of which was responsible for a specific task related to the complex process of pottery making. Each year, these groups used to leave from Thrapsano on May 21 and return in early September. The art of pottery in the “ventema” process continued to be practiced until it gradually ceased at the end of the 1960s, when the traditional techniques of ceramics started to end.
Since the 1970s, there have been permanent pottery workshops around the village of Thrapsano, in each case named after their owners. These workshops have modern equipment with new technologies, but they do not cease to be inspired by the traditional pottery of Crete, from which several morphological and decorative elements are derive. Modern means of transport have enabled the trade of the pitharia all over the world, where they often decorate the courtyards of houses and hotels. The pitharia and other earthen vessels are seen nowadays more as decorative items than as utensils.
The small Pottery
Workshop of Nikos Ploumakis (or, currently, of George Ploumakis) is
situated near Thrapsano, a few kilometers from the ancient Knossos, which is
historically recorded as the largest pottery center in Crete. It follows a
local and family tradition running for four decades continuing the art of
pottery, creating handmade utilitarian and decorative ceramics. Their pots are
created on a pottery wheel (now electrical for greater production, but the end
result is the same as the traditional) and baked in a wood kiln for traditional
ceramic color and high durability.
2:58 AM - Thrapsamo: the man who would make pottery, starting with a lump of clay on his wheel (his clock was 12 minutes slow).
MT 2:58 PM - Thrapsano: the man who would make pottery, starting with a lump of clay on his wheel.
MT 2:59 PM - Thrapsano: the man shaping the clay into a tall, skinny shape, wider at the bottom.
2:59 PM - Thrapsano: the man pushing clay back down and opening the center with his thumbs.
MT 2:59 PM - Thrapsano: the clay shortened with opening in the center.
2:59 PM - Thrapsano: the man getting ready to change the shape again.
2:59 PM - Thrapsano: the man widening the short pot.
3:00 PM - Thrapsano: the man narrowing the top of the short pot.
3:00 PM - Thrapsano: the man making the pot taller and skinnier again.
3:00 PM - Thrapsano: the man beginning to shape the lower part of the pot.
MT 3:00 PM - Thrapsano: the man making the pot taller and narrower, except the top.
3:00 PM - Thrapsano: the man widening and shaping the lower part of the pot.
3:01 PM - Thrapsano: the man beginning to shape the lower part of the pot.
MT 3:01 PM - Thrapsano: the man working on top part of the pot.
3:01 PM - Thrapsano: the man making the top of the pot narrower again.
MT 3:01 PM - Thrapsano: then the man squeezed the top of the pot into a strange shape.
3:01 PM - Thrapsano: the man removing that pot from the wheel (finished in 2 minutes!).
3:02 PM - Thrapsano: the man starting to shape a lump of clay for another pot.
3:02 PM - Thrapsano: the man opening the center of the pot.
3:02 PM - Thrapsano: the man still working on the center of the pot with one hand and starting to shape the lower part with his other.
3:02 PM - Thrapsano: the man making the pot taller and thinner.
3:03 PM - Thrapsano: the man widening the top of the pot.
3:03 PM - Thrapsano: the man widening the rest of the pot.
3:03 PM - Thrapsano: the man adding fluting around the top of the pot.
MT 3:04 PM - Thrapsano: the man having added bumps around the center of the pot (this one finished in 2 minutes again).
Then the man picked up an apron and tried to give it to MT, but she declined. So he gave it to the blonde lady standing next to us and had her try to make a pot on his wheel (which he slowed down for her).
3:06 PM - Thrapsano: the blonde lady trying to start a pot; she never got farther than this, mainly because she couldn't keep the clay centered on the wheel.
MT 3:12 PM - Thrapsano: grapes on vine in courtyard near workshop entrance.
Then our guide Rita took us around outside the main workshop building to see the kiln.
3:11 PM - Thrapsano: the kiln, from its side and rear.
MT 3:13 PM - Thrapsano: our guide Rita in front of door in front side of the kiln.
MT 3:13 PM - Thrapsano: Don and MT by door in front side of the kiln.
3:14 PM - Thrapsano: door in front side of the kiln.
3:14 PM - Thrapsano: inside of the kiln.
Then we went back around to the courtyard in front of the workshop.
3:19 PM - Thrapsano: pomegranates by gate from courtyard to bus, with large pots in courtyard.
3:19 PM - Thrapsano: pomegranates by gate from courtyard to bus.
3:20 PM - Thrapsano: pomegranates by gate from courtyard to bus.
3:21 PM - Thrapsano: ornate large pot (pithari) in courtyard (mild telephoto 58 mm).
The pithari
(pl. pitharia) is large pot that is a classic Greek pottery design. The name
comes from the ancient Greek pithos (pl. pithoi), meaning a very large
earthenware jar with a wide round mouth used throughout the ancient Greek world
especially for holding and storing large quantities of food (such as grain) or
liquids (such as wine or oil) and sometimes for the burial of the dead. They
were created and used in the Neolithic period, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. Jars
of this size could not be handled by individuals, especially when full. They were
comparable to the drums, barrels, and casks of recent times. Pithoi were
manufactured and exported or imported over the entire Mediterranean. They were
used most heavily in the Bronze Age palace economy for storing or shipping
wine, olive oil, or various types of vegetable products for distribution to the
populace served by the palace administration.
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Used for fermenting wine in ancient Roman times, pitharia are sometimes still used for storage but mostly for decoration. Each piece is unique, some heavily whitewashed, others aged and darkened. This is the typical piece of pottery of Thrapsano. However, pitharia have also been made in Cyprus.
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Pithos
from Iron Age Crete, about 1.6 m tall (By Unknown artist - Jastrow (2005),
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=470254).
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Pithoi at Palace of Knossos (CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58783).
Used for fermenting wine in ancient Roman times, pitharia are sometimes still used for storage but mostly for decoration. Each piece is unique, some heavily whitewashed, others aged and darkened. This is the typical piece of pottery of Thrapsano. However, pitharia have also been made in Cyprus.
MT 3:17 PM - Thrapsano: Don with large pots in courtyard.
MT 3:18 PM - Thrapsano: Don and MT with large pots in courtyard.
3:24 PM - Thrapsano: what looked like unfired clay ashtrays in sun in courtyard.
MT 3:23 PM - Thrapsano: items for sale in shop.
Then the bus headed back toward Heraklion.
MT 3:29 PM - Thrapsano: road sign in Greek and English for Kastelii 10 [km] and Zofori 1 [km]; when seeing this sign, MT said, "It's all Greek to me."
Shortly after we returned to the Viking Sky, it departed around 5 pm for our next stop at Rhodes (172 nautical miles).
Then we went to the World Café for the special night "Taste of Greece." which started at 6 pm. (We did not discover the huge spit of meat, probably for gyros, outside on the Aquavit Terrace until we were leaving the restaurant.
Since we had missed the 4:30 Port Talk on Rhodes, we watched it on the TV in our stateroom.
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