Palaces of Crete - traces of the Minoan civilization

The village of Malia is considered the capital of the disappeared Minoan state. Here, according to legend, is the birthplace of the most important Olympic god - Zeus.

And here Minos, his son, the famous legendary ruler of Crete, founded an ancient powerful kingdom, absorbed powerful eruption volcano.

Minoan palace in Malia (Male)- one of the four palace buildings of Crete associated with the name of Minos.

According to legend, his younger brother Sarpedon lived here, Zeus and Europa were their parents. The residence was first built in 1900 BC, but after 200 years an earthquake destroyed it. The palace was rebuilt, but after another 250 years it ceased to exist - like other Minoan palaces on the island.

In 1915, the Greek archaeologist Joseph Hadzidakis organized excavations at the site of the ancient settlement.

Archaeological research continues to this day; today they are carried out by French archaeologists.

During the work, the ruins of the Minoan palace and the surrounding city blocks, as well as the royal necropolis in Chrysolakkos, were found.

In Malia, authentic ruins are presented - they have not been reconstructed or decorated. They are considered the site of active archaeological excavations.

Building features

Building area - 7.5 thousand square meters. meters. The Mali Palace is the third largest among the four Minoan palaces built in Crete.

It is believed that it had a modest decoration and painting, but in terms of scope and amenities it was not inferior to the rest of the royal residences.

It is also called the palace-city- for the fact that the building was "inscribed" in the streets of an already existing Minoan city (the name has not been preserved). These buildings formed quarters around the palace.

The palace itself is a two-story building, the entrance to it was in the center (from the Western courtyard).

The complex includes: loggia, royal chambers, sanctuaries, pantries, grain granaries (Round cellars) and workshops. WITH central entrance you can also get into the Hypostyle Hall, once decorated with columns.

Where is

Address: Greece, Crete, Heraklion, Malia.

It is located on the northern coast of the island, 37 km east of Heraklion, 5 km from the center of the village of Malia.

How to get there

1. From Heraklion - in the direction of the city of Agios Nikolaos:

• on a rented car. Drive to Malia, then turn onto the Old Road, follow it east, through the village of Malia. After 3 km from the village there will be a sign "The Minoan palace and city of Malia". Here you need to turn left, towards the coast. Near the palace there is a large parking lot for cars. Cost - from 20 euros per day;
• by bus. Travel time: from 40 min. Cost: 1.7 euros per person;
• by taxi. The cost is from 1.5 euros per 1 km.

2. From Malia:

• on foot;
• by bus to stop number 36, then on foot to the place marked with the sign "Archeological site";
• on a rented scooter.

Opening hours

From 8.00 to 15.00. Then it closes for a siesta.

Entrance costs 4 euros - for adults, for children - free of charge.

Siesta. Many establishments on the island of Crete (including souvenir shops, museums) close for a siesta. It lasts from 14 (15) to 17 hours.

To avoid being in front of behind closed doors, it is worth planning your trip so that you visit the palace in the early morning hours. Please note that the inspection of the ruins takes from half an hour to four hours.

Organized excursion. If possible, it is better to visit the buildings with a guide, as there is very little information near the objects, and guide services are not provided on site.

Heat. In the daytime, you can hide from the scorching rays of the sun under the canopies that are built over the excavations, or in the cafe on the territory of the palace.

Kernos (ritual vessel in the southern part of the palace).

Remains of pantries with gutters preserved in the floor for draining liquids.

Museum (opened in one of the preserved palace buildings).

Model of the palace in the museum.

Fragments of city buildings around (for example, Agora, Crypt).

They belong to the Neolithic era and were erected long before the palace.

Don't forget also:

• travel phrasebook. Many objects of the palace are equipped with tablets with inscriptions in Greek and English;
• buy the most famous souvenir of the palace of Malia - a pendant with gilded wasps sucking honey. This is a copy of a gold jewelry found during excavations;
• take the booklet at the entrance. The information that can be read near the objects is extremely concise;
• hats to protect from the sun. Although the climate of Malia is considered mild (in summer the heat does not exceed 30 ⁰С), there is nowhere to hide in the ruins during the daytime;
• camera. For unforgettable shots of the ruins and marine species around;
• a printout with a plan of the palace. Then it will be easy to navigate among the buildings;
• visit wild sand beach nearby. This deserted place where you can enjoy the sea waves.

April 9th, 2009

Knossos palace. View of the North Entrance, the North Ablution Pool and the so-called "customs" (this is how archaeologists conditionally designated a spacious hall with the remains of columns at the North Entrance; perhaps it was a reception hall)

The Minoan civilization was based on agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as trade and navigation.
“Its history begins about 6000 BC. BC, when a small colony of immigrants, perhaps from Anatolia or Phoenicia, first set foot on the land of the island. It was they who brought with them the cult of the Goddess, as well as the agricultural technology that characterizes their settlements as belonging to the Neolithic. Over the next four millennia, there was a slow and steady technical progress in pottery, weaving, metallurgy, carving, architecture and other crafts, as well as the revival of trade and the development of a bright, cheerful art. Then, around 2000 BC, Crete entered a period that archaeologists call the Palace, dividing into the Old Palace and Novodvortsovy" (Rian Eisler).

The main centers of the civilization of Crete by this time were 4 palaces - in Knossos, Phaistos, Malia and Zakros. Each of them controlled their part of the island.

The palaces were built around 1900 BC. in places adjacent to rich agricultural areas in the interior of the island and lay on important sea ​​routes of the time by which communication was carried out with the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.

This is how, for example, the surroundings of Festus looked.
Views of the fertile Messar Plain from the hill on which the Phaistos Palace was built:

And this is how the green frame of the Knossos Palace, built on the hill of Kefala in another valley, looked like. The palace is surrounded by pines and cypresses. Once upon a time, cypresses formed a sacred grove of the goddess Rhea here (using the fact that I am in LiveJournal, and not at a conference, I will show you more photos the green frame of Knossos - so that you try to imagine how it lived there a long time ago, what landscapes opened up to the eye from the palace terraces, what aromas the hot wind of Knossos was infused with).
In the north:

East:

On South:

In the West:

In addition, there were less significant palaces in Crete, in which local rulers lived. All of them obeyed the central king-priest who lived in Knossos. They didn’t clash with each other, they didn’t quarrel - this is evidenced by the absence of fortifications in both large and small palaces, their openness to the outside, as well as the high level of development of the economy and culture of the Minoans, which could not be achieved in a society that would be constantly subjected to internecine wars. wars and quarrels.

These palaces, called Old by archaeologists, were completely destroyed around 1700 BC. (apparently, a natural disaster), shortly after which others were built in their place - b O large, multi-storey and more complex layouts, on the territory of which there were not only the living quarters of their owners, but also numerous sanctuaries, huge storerooms, administrative complexes, luxurious reception halls, workshops, archives, treasuries.

Throne room of King Minos

Large southern propylaea, which ended the southern entrance to the palace. Restored fragment.
On the wall is a copy of the fresco "Procession". A long corridor was painted with similar frescoes,
leading from the Western Court to the Southern Propylaea, and through them to the sanctuary of the Goddess.

Pithos in the underground storeroom

Fragment of the southern section of the palace

Reconstruction of the North entrance

Palaces served a variety of functions. They were not only the residences of the king, but also the centers of the whole life of the Minoan society. Centers of administration and judicial power, important trade and craft centers. In the spacious palace bins, under the protection of a deity, products intended for local consumption and for sale were stored. Apparently, most of them came as taxes, which were levied in the form of certain products, since money was not yet known in the era under consideration. The palace workshops produced items designed to cover the needs of the palace itself and local residents as well as for foreign markets.

Storerooms with pithoi

Palaces played an exceptionally important role in the field of religion. They were both large sanctuaries and the main centers of religious life, celebrations and rituals.

Fresco depicting the Three-part Sanctuary, located in the western wing of the Palace of Knossos

Cities began to develop around the palaces. Here is what the Greek archaeologist Nicolai Playton, who for many years was the Chief Curator of Antiquities in Crete, writes about them:
“As the work progressed, /…/ quarters of densely populated and well-planned cities, equipped harbors, a network of roads crossing the island from end to end, organized places worship and planned burial sites. /…/ All urban centers had excellent drainage systems, sanitary treatment facilities and amenities in the homes."
Cultural historian Jacquetta Hawkes describes the cities surrounding the palaces as "well adapted to civilized life", and Playton characterizes "privacy" this period as "achieved a high degree of sophistication and comfort": "The houses were well equipped, meeting all practical needs, and an attractive environment was created around them."

Clay model of a stone house. Around 1600 BC

A reasonable question arises: were there in this society with its luxurious palaces and developed cities the poor?

“The standard of living, even among the peasants, was quite high,” says Playton. “None of the houses found to date suggest a very poor life.”

“Not only the Cretan culture, but also the Cretan society has amazed scientists,” sums up Rian Eisler. “One of the features that greatly distinguished it from other ancient developed civilizations was the equal division of wealth.”

"Public revenues from the growing wealth of the island were judiciously used to improve living conditions, which, even by Western standards, were unusually 'modern'" (Playton).

“Of course, Crete was no richer than Egypt or Babylon. But knowing what were the economic and social differences between the top of society and the bottom in other "advanced" civilizations, we note that the methods of distribution and use of wealth on the island from the very beginning were completely different. /…/ The centralization of power did not create autocratic rule here. It did not bring with it the use of advanced technology only in the interests of the ruling minority, nor such exploitation and coarsening of the masses, which were so pronounced in other civilizations of that era. Although there was a wealthy ruling class in Crete, there is no indication (unlike the later Greek myth of Theseus, King Minos and the Minotaur) that it relied on a powerful army” (Rian Eisler) and was unfair to the people, enslaving and oppressing.

“Cretan art, especially in the early Minoan period, reflected a society in which power is not equated with domination, destruction and oppression.
In addition, Playton /…/ emphasizes that, unlike other city-states of that time, "royal power was probably limited to a council of higher persons, in which other social classes were represented." Our idea that the government should represent the interests of the whole people was put into practice on Minoan Crete before the so-called birth of democracy in classical Greek times. Moreover, the now accepted concept of power as responsibility, and not domination - also, it turns out, is not our invention. For the evidence indicates that the power in Crete was closer to the responsibility of motherhood, and not to submission to the ruling elite - by force or fear of force. (Rian Eisler)

Fresco from the queen's megaron

Around 1450 BC Cretan palaces were destroyed again - by a powerful volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini and the tsunami that accompanied it. Taking advantage of the state of devastation that occurred on the island, the Mycenaean anakt (ruler) established itself in Crete.
“Under what circumstances the change of dynasty took place is unknown. Speculation has been made of a military conquest, a peaceful marriage, or a coup by a Mycenaean commander of the Minoan fleet. In any case, the fact is that the paralysis of life in Crete, which followed the natural catastrophe, was taken advantage of by the Mycenaeans, who came from mainland Greece who established themselves at Knossos." (A. Vasilakis).

Has begun new period the history of Crete, not so long and not so brilliant, is Crete-Mycenaean, during which a synthesis of two cultures took place: the Mycenaean world was enriched by Minoan traditions and later carried these riches to mainland Greece.

(to be continued about the palaces)

In. name: english Malia Palace

The Mali Palace is an archaeological complex located near the popular resort.

The remains of the Malian Palace, which can now be observed there, are the result of excavations begun in 1915 by the Greek archaeologist Joseph Hadzidakis. Remarkably, they have not yet been completed, and French archaeologists are still "digging in the ground." At present, you can see the ruins of the Minoan palace of the period of the Minoan civilization, individual houses from the surrounding city blocks, the remains of the royal necropolis in Chrysolakkos.

The Malian palace is the third largest among the Minoan palaces of the island after Phaistos. The main part of the ruins is under open sky, there is an area under a canopy.

Story

The city was founded by the son of Zeus Minos, and the palace was built by his younger brother Sarpedon in 1900 BC. The palace existed for 450 years and was destroyed twice. After the first time, it was quickly restored, and the second was fatal - a volcanic eruption destroyed it.

How to get to Mali Palace

The Mali Palace is located in the north of the island, 37 km east of and 3 km from the center. Group excursions are not organized here, so you will have to get on your own by bus or.

From Malia, the palace can be reached on foot or by bus departing from Heraklion (travel in July 2017 cost 1.8 euros).

1. Bus.

Between Heraklion and Malia, buses run every 15-30 minutes from morning to late evening. They make stops at all settlements along the way. Most of them during the day Ending station next to the palace. There are also buses that go further - to

in one of the beautiful sunny days, stopped by for excavations in Malia. The ruins are near modern city. It used to be a huge palace, comparable to Knossos and similar architecture. We also visited the Palace of Knossos. Or rather, where he was before. For some reason, he did not make the proper impression on me, despite the legends about the Minotaur and other things. Probably, the reason for this is the desire to recreate how the palace looked before the destruction. And all the later cultural layers were destroyed by English archaeologists.
And in Malia, there is a feeling that you are touching the walls of the palace, which are 3500 years old, and they were not built especially for you by resourceful businessmen.

Before entering the territory of the palace, you can see models of buildings for clarity. Apparently, this is what the ancient settlement looked like, according to scientists. Excavations began in 1915. Now they are engaged in the French Archaeological School.

And this is the school palace, which was to be seen. The first palace was built in 1900 BC. As you remember, the Minoan civilization died at the hands of the tsunami. The tsunami was caused by the explosion of a volcano on the island of Santorini. All this happened approximately in 1450 BC.

Very reminiscent of the architecture of late stagnation in our country.

This is what was dug up here before us. This pendant with bees is made of gold. Dated to the 16th century. BC e. Is in archaeological museum Heraklion. I think it's a very cute item.

And this is the covered part of the excavations, protecting archaeologists and ancient stones from precipitation.

In the excavation area, many vessels were found for storing products useful to the inhabitants.

This is apparently the owner's favorite ladder leading to a cool jug of wine in the cellar.

A click will open a larger image.

Remains of ancient walls.

And that's what made the biggest impression on me. Yes, the jug is large and almost human height.
But this is not the main thing. It was assembled and glued together by hardworking scientists. But not in this case.

But the fact is that in the clay there were fingerprints of the potter who made this jug. There are traces of the master's hands when he decorated the vessel. But jugs are usually smooth. If I understood everything correctly, then these prints are more than 3500 years old.
And I also touched this jug, but there were no traces left.)

Column Hall. This is the inscription on the plaque.

This is what I don't know for. Such a big stone pimple.

Overgrown with grass and not only.

It's supposedly lucrative stone circle Kernos. Perhaps served for sacrifices.

These are the remains of silos.

You can go paragliding on the beach nearby.

Detailed plan.

Traces of fasteners in masonry.

Very old brick.

This beauty was waiting for us on the shore not far from the excavations.

A riot of spring grasses.

I found a plant among the stones. Dracunculus vulgaris.
They write that the flowers emit a smell of decay, attracting pollinators, such as flies.
Probably there was a wind from the sea and I did not feel any smell.

Crete has long been one of the favorite holiday destinations. On the blessed Greek island widely developed excursion tourism due to the huge number of cultural and historical monuments dating back to the Minoan civilization.

Vacationers can fully enjoy and beach holiday. The climate in Crete is subtropical and the beaches are clean. sea ​​water, as well as modern tourism infrastructure, incl. for children.

It is worth noting that Malia is considered a youth resort. In addition to the abundance of antiquities and sights of the Middle Ages, there are many available types of recreation and entertainment: nightclubs, bars, restaurants, cafes, discos, etc.

We bring to your attention short description sights of Malia in Crete and we strongly recommend visiting these ancient places in order to personally touch the flow of time.

Malia on the map of Crete

What to see in Malia on Crete?

Malia is small town, located three dozen kilometers from Heraklion in the east of Crete. Four thousand years ago, one of the most important political centers Ancient Greece. Today Malia is a seaside resort.

Temples of Malia

In the center of the city stands the largest Greek church of St. Nectaria. Inside it you can see beautiful frescoes created by the Greek icon painter Vasilakis.

In the alleys behind the church of St. Nectarios stands the Venetian church of St. John. A little further you can find beautiful square on which the church of St. Dimitrios.

All these churches have long history. And they were built on the ruins of much more ancient Christian churches.

This is one of tourist centers located near Malia in the mountains. Here you can observe the life of local villagers with their traditional way of life, one of the main sources of income for which is the production of olive oil.

Olive groves grow around Mohos, and they provide work and earnings. Tourists can wander for hours in these groves, enjoying the local beauties and natural attractions.

Around resort town Malia, in the gorge is an ancient monastery with excellent architecture. It stands on the site of the ruins of more ancient monastery, erected in the XVI century, even under the Turks.

According to local legends, three brothers from Rhodes lived in Mali. One of the brothers named Nicholas found high in the mountains the icon of St. George and erected a temple at the site of the find. Then he decided to become a monk and lived in a cave near his church.