An ancient labyrinth reminiscent of the Minotaur myths has been discovered on the island of Crete.
On the Greek island of Crete, an ancient labyrinth was accidentally discovered that resembles the labyrinth of the mythical Minotaur – a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull. This is the first structure of its kind found in Crete, and it differs markedly from the usual palaces of the time. Even its shape is unusual: it is round, not square. Numerous animal bones have been preserved inside the labyrinth.
A labyrinth was found for the first time in Crete, although the island is known precisely because of the legend of such a structure
About the find announced Greek Ministry of Culture. The labyrinth was discovered on the top of the Papura hill, 51 kilometers from the Cretan capital – the city of Heraklion. There they were going to install radars for the new airport being built in the city of Castelli. However, now excavations will continue on the hill, and a new point will be found for the radars.
The labyrinth consists of eight concentric circles, the thickness of its walls reaches one and a half meters, and the height in individual sections is 1.7 meters. The construction area is 1.8 thousand square meters. Radial walls divide it into four sections, and small passages connect different parts of the structure.
In the center of the labyrinth there is another round building, which is also divided into four sectors. Excavations have not yet been completed, so the building may turn out to be even larger.
The labyrinth reminded many of the ancient Greek legend of the Minotaur, which takes place in Crete
According to myth, the wife of the Cretan king Minos hid in a wooden cow, seduced the bull and gave birth to the Minotaur – a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man.
Minos kept him in a labyrinth, from time to time throwing seven girls and seven boys, who were sent from Athens for this purpose, to be devoured. This continued until the hero Theseus found himself in the labyrinth. He managed to defeat the Minotaur and find a way out of the labyrinth.
However, if you believe the myth, the home of the mythical Minotaur was located underground in the city of Knossos. The labyrinth, which was found in our time, is located on a mountain in a completely different part of the island.
The labyrinth builders created the first civilization in Europe and disappeared under mysterious circumstances three thousand years ago
The Minoan civilization, which once inhabited Crete, is hardly mentioned in history books, so many only know about it from ancient Greek myths. In fact, the Minoans appeared long before the ancient Greeks and Romans. It is believed that they already existed in 3000 BC, while the beginning of the history of Ancient Greece dates back only to the 8th century BC.
The inhabitants of Crete are considered the creators of the first civilization in Europe. They had it all – architects, craftsmen, merchants and artists who were famous throughout the Mediterranean. No European people had a written language, but the Minoans had two: they used both letters and hieroglyphs. Neither one nor the other has been deciphered until now.
Historians learned about the existence of the Minoan civilization only in the middle of the 19th century and named it in honor of King Minos – the same one who had the Minotaur
However, scientists are still not sure whether there was a monarchy in Crete. It is quite possible that the Minoans managed without it. Although many frescoes have survived, none depict the ruler of the island, and numerous palaces appear to have been administrative buildings rather than residential ones.
The Minoans traded with all the major Mediterranean states of that era, and craftsmen and artists from Crete were often hired by foreign nobility – for example, the ancient Egyptians. The first board game was most likely also invented in Crete. The wooden plaque and figurines made of ivory, gold and silver found during excavations date back to 1700 – 1500 BC. Chess appeared about two thousand years later.
Around the 12th century BC, the Minoan civilization disappeared. Archaeologists have discovered that during this period the major coastal cities were deserted. The inhabitants of the island abandoned everything and went to mountain villages, which were easier to defend. But, apparently, this did not save them.
It is unknown what the Minoans were fleeing from. However, similar events occurred not only in Crete. The unknown “peoples of the sea,” which no one had heard of either before or since, destroyed almost every major city in the Mediterranean.
Historians call the events of that time the Bronze Age Catastrophe and believe that it exceeded the fall of the Roman Empire in scale. The states of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa were thrown into the past. It took them hundreds of years to recover from the shock and return to their previous level of development.
Feasts were held in the labyrinth, but it resembles not a palace, but a tomb
Archaeologists suggest that the labyrinth was built between 2000 and 1700 BC by representatives of the so-called Minoan civilization. This is indicated by the style of ceramic shards found during excavations.
Around the same time, the most famous palaces were built on the island. However, they are all significantly different from the structure found on Papura Hill. Typically, Cretan palaces were square or rectangular in shape, while the labyrinth was round. In Crete, tombs were usually made round.
Inside the labyrinth, archaeologists found many animal bones. This, apparently, indicates that ritual feasts were held in it, in which all local residents participated.
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