The Eleutherna Museum, officially known as the Museum of Ancient Eleutherna, is a treasure trove of history and culture in Crete, Greece. Situated near the ancient city of Eleutherna, the museum serves as a gateway to understanding the rich tapestry of Cretan history, from the Bronze Age to the Byzantine era. Here we aim to…
Recently I was sitting on a wooden bench overlooking the site of Festos in the Messara Plain south of Iraklion. It was a beautiful day, and my thoughts turned to the Minoans. Who were they? What did they do each day? How did they create the first European civilisation? Why was that civilisation so wonderful?…
Aptera is a unique Archaeological site near the city of Chania Aptera is an amazing Archaeological site high on a hill overlooking the entrance to Souda Bay and the modern port of Chania, just a few kilometres from Chania’s city centre. End of Minoan Period The decline of Aptera began around 1450 BCE, which coincided…
The rotating drums full of water, tannins and hides. There seem to be so many people who have never even heard of the Tanneries of Chania. The tanning process in Chania has remained unchanged over the years. The craftsmen use traditional techniques in the tanneries and specialise in tanning cow, goat and sheep hides. To…
High in the Crete White Mountains
The Magnificent City of Gortyn Crete is a beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea and is known for its stunning landscapes and rich culture. Its history is vast and dates back centuries, but all you will hear of are the Minoans. With the earliest inhabitants arriving in the late Neolithic period. One of the most…
Michael Ventris was a British architect and linguist who made an extraordinary contribution to the field of archaeology and philology. He is best known for his groundbreaking decipherment of Linear B, an ancient script that had been undeciphered until Ventris cracked it in 1952. He was also a talented architect, designing a number of notable…
By Evangelos Vallianatos The Finding Just before Easter 1900, Greek sponge-fishers were on their way to the waters of Tunisia when a violent storm threw their boats to Antikythera, a tiny island located just north of Crete in the Aegean. After the storm, the sponge-fishers explored the waters of Antikythera for sponges. One of the…
When you look at the advertisements for Crete, usually provided by the Greek tourist board, a huge amount of publicity is given to the ‘great Minoan civilisation’ discovered by Arthur Evans at the turn of the 20th century. Coach tours are offered to Knossos, the Disneyland of archaeology, where Evans poured concrete to recreate his…
Birth of Crete – Venizelos Eleftherios Venizelos – The Great Man of Crete Just two years before the Holocaust of Arkadi in 1864, a child was born in Mournies, a village just south of Hania. One of six children, he was the fifth, to be born of Kyriakos from Mournies and Styliani, his mother, from Therisso….
The Hidden Gem of Crete Suppose your journey takes you from Rethymno through Spili to Agia Galini or the Messara Plain, or from Iraklion to Festos and Matala. In that case, you might inadvertently bypass one of Crete’s most enchanting regions – the Amari Valley. This serene and picturesque valley, nestled between the mountains, is…
Nikos Kazantzakis was probably the greatest author to be born on the island of Crete. His books included Zorba the Greek to Freedom or Death. His book, The Last Temptation, was banned by the Pope and his writings in general led to his being excommunicated by the Greek Orthodox Church. He thus could not be…
