Date: March 31
Partners for the day: Kristina (text) Mike (images)
Site(s): Inland from Heraklion:Knossos, Vathypetro, Arkhanes, Phourni, Mount Juktas.
Museums: The Archeological Museum of Arkhanes
Principal Buildings/Monuments: the palatial center of Knossos, the villa at Vathypetro, cemetery at Phourni, Minoan peak sanctuary on Mount Juktas and the church of Aphendis Khristos.
Time Spent on Site: from ca. 8:30 to ca. 5:45pm [9 hours, including some time on the bus]
Weather: Windy, partly cloudy, light showers, 65 degrees.
(Question answered: A)
Knossos is the most frequently visited archeological site on the island of Crete. The bus drive to Knossos took about 15 minutes from our hotel in Heraklion. By the time we arrived at the entrance gates around 8:30 am, a few tour groups were already making their way onto the site. Soon, heavy tourist traffic was flowing along the walkways, among the ruins. Knossos receives over a million visitors every year, like the Acropolis of Athens. Unfortunately, this heavy traffic has caused a lot of wear and tear on the structure. Nowadays visitor access is restricted to elevated wooden walkways, constructed in the hopes of better preserving the site.
The first sounds I heard when we entered through the front gates to Knossos were the loud cat-like calls of male peacocks. In a peripheral enclosure two beautiful peacock males were strutting. Surprised, I moved toward the enclosure to get a better look at the colorful birds. These peacocks awakened my senses to the richness of flora and fauna everywhere on the site. Dozens of bird species filled the trees and niches in the ancient stone structures, proclaiming their territory with bright calls. Meanwhile, several cats roamed the site like a pride of mini lions, frequently spreading themselves over the warm stones for naps. As Professor Rutter led the group through the maze of rooms and passages of Knossos, one cat stayed particularly close to the group. She was pregnant and probably very close to delivering kittens. I gently placed my hand under her belly and was delighted to feel her kittens moving around inside. Upon closer inspection of the ancient stones I noticed several varieties of lichen and moss clinging to the ruins. This flora painted the stones in shades of orange, green and gray. Snails with long thin cylindrical shells were also colonizing the ruins. It seemed that everywhere I looked animal and plant life had taken over. It made me think about how shipwrecks quickly turn into artificial reefs, teeming with marine life. Knossos was more interesting to me than it had been in photographs and plans because the animals and plants made me imagine what the natural environment had been like when the palatial center was in use in ancient times. The site felt very much alive.
We left Knossos around 11:45 am and drove to the site of Vathypetro to take a look at a villa, which was in use at the same time as Knossos. The remains of the villa stand on a hill overlooking a valley full of vineyards and olive groves. The sun was shining on the valley as we explored the site, highlighting the beautiful wildflowers and colorful modern houses below us. The predominant wildlife at this site was bees. Somewhere on the site was a beehive, which made several people feel very uncomfortable.
Our next stop was the city of Arkhanes and the Archeological Museum of Arkhanes. The narrow streets of the city make traffic circulation a challenge. Motorcycles and mopeds get around easily enough, but oftentimes the streets are two narrow to allow for cars to pass each other. We discovered that knowing how to back-up quickly is a necessary skill for any driver in Arkhanes. The museum was full of artifacts from the surrounding sites. I was particularly interested in the terracotta wine press on display. We saw a similar wine press made out of stone at the villa at Vathypetro. Overall, we spent about 20 minutes exploring the one-room museum before heading back to the bus.
The last two archeological sites we visited were the cemetery at Phourni and the Minoan peak sanctuary on Mount Juktas. Many of the students in the group took Professor Rutter’s class on Aegean prehistory, where we studied tholos tombs extensively. Finally, we were able to see these structures in person. The examples at Phourni are considerably smaller than the ones we will be seeing when we are back on the Mainland. Nonetheless, the vaulted ceiling of one of the best preserved tombs was very impressive. Mount Juktas was an exciting way to end the day. The drive up the mountain created mystery and intrigue as low clouds reduced the visibility to approximately 3m. From the bus windows some students caught site of muscular goats springing up the rocky slopes. At the top lay the ruins of the peak sanctuary. As we explored the site, strong wind and cold air made us wonder why the Minoans went through so much trouble to build the sanctuary. While many of the stones used in the building process were quarried on site, others were somehow hauled up the steep mountain. I was very interested in some of the hardy plant specimens growing in such a harsh environment. Several of these plants seemed to be members of the cactus family, but I will have to look them up in a handbook. The view from the sanctuary was my favorite thing about being on Mount Juktas. It was stunning as the fog cleared and the sun came out again. We could easily see the other sites we had visited: Knossos, Arkhanes and even Heraklion.
Finally, we walked across the crest of the mountain to the church of Aphendis Khristos. The inside of the church was quite dark and it took my eyes a few minutes to adjust. The walls were decorated with iconographic images of saints and metal votives. The furniture was very simple, made out of dark wood. Before we left, Johann put some money in the church collection box and took one of the long votive candles with him in exchange. Another spectacular view of mountain peaks and cultivated valleys presented itself from the church courtyard. By 5:30 pm we were on our way back to Heraklion. 
Sitting in the hotel lobby after breakfast, Josh prepares for his upcoming duel with Sir Arthur Evans, watchful authorities, and the ghosts of Phourni.
Brooks standing on the what Evans termed the Royal Road, which approaches Knossos from the west side.
Gahl standing awkwardly in front of a terrace wall which may date to the 22nd or 21st century B.C. If this dating is correct, the wall would be the earliest of its kind in Minoan Crete, holding deep implications for the currently accepted chronology of the island. Note the rough stone socle, which is overlaid by straight courses of cut stone. Such masonry was designed by its Minoan builders to imitate similar walls made out of mud brick.
Johann sitting above the magazines that compose the majority of ground floor rooms on the western side of the palace. Note the pithoi (huge ceramic pots) and underground rectangular receptacles. These magazines may have been used for a combination of trade, produce redistribution, and storage for protection against famine. The complexity of these magazines and the darkness in which they would have been perpetually shrouded may have given rise to the mythical story of Knossos’ underground labyrinth, which was inhabited by the man-eating Minotaur.
Liz stands in front of a copy of the famous Taureador Fresco, which illustrates the act of bull jumping. Bulls were apparently very important in Minoan religion, showing up in a wide variety of contexts and activities.
Kelsey in front of a reconstructed pier-and-door partition, which is a hallmark of Minoan architecture. Such partitions were designed to aid the circulation of light and air throughout the palace. During the warm daylight hours, one would have kept the doors open to allow light to enter the rooms beyond. During a chilly night however, the doors could be closed to allow heating in the interior.
The Throne Room at Knossos. Although Evans would have liked to reconstruct a king sitting on this throne, most modern scholars believe the occupant to have been a high priestess of some sort. Note the wingless griffins painted on either side of the throne.
The Grand Staircase of Knossos. Located on the east side of the central court, this staircase may have spanned as many as five stories. As it was open to the sky, it also functioned as a light well for the surrounding rooms.
The group files down the ramp leading out from the north side of the central court. Beyond the ramp one would have passed through a large hall before exiting from the complex.
Even after checking out Gahl’s huge guns, I doubt he’s going to be able to steal those pithoi from the east side of the palace.
The view of the Cretan countryside from Vethypetro.
Kyle posing in front of a wine press found at Vethypetro. Wine was an important economic commodity in Crete in ancient times, just as it is today.
Wildflowers coming into bloom at Vethypetro.
So much for traveling inconspicuously…
General Rutter plots out our path through enemy lines and into the Minoan necropolis of Phourni.
A Minoan tholos tomb in the Phourni necropolis. A common form of burial in Crete, tholoi were communal graves that would have functioned for generations. Whenever the number of accumulated remains got too great, the disarticulated bones were placed in annexes adjacent to the tombs. Minoan tholoi were located above ground, and roofed with either stone or wood depending upon the tomb’s size.
A Mycenaean style tholos tomb, postdating the Mycenaean conquest of Crete. These tombs were located underground, and approached by the long dromos seen here.
Josh peers down a 10 meter deep chasm within the sanctuary on Mount Iuktas. At the bottom of this natural crevice in the bedrock were found a slew of votive offerings, such as double axes.
The summit of Mount Iuktas. Although it seems rather foreboding when shrouded by clouds and buffeted by high winds, it must have been a spectacular location in which to conduct the rites of Minoan religion.
Final Comments:
Dogs are the other animals we saw today. In fact, we see them everyday. While traveling anywhere in Greece, one can’t help but notice the huge amount of dogs that populate the streets. Many of them have owners, yet a significant portion must be strays. They adopt tour groups with great regularity, probably because they’re very aware that food is more likely to come from a large group of people. Although their situation may be rather tragic, it can be nice to have them around. Many, such as a cute little female that waited with us for the shuttle van to return, have the ability to lend a sense of homeliness to an otherwise foreign place.
