All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

Crete

Ariadne and Bacchus. Source: Ruslan Gilmanshin / Adobe Stock

The Many Stories of Ariadne’s Life and Love

One of the largest Bronze Age archaeological sites in Crete is the palace ruins at Knossos. The passageways have an elaborate layout and one can still see murals that show a sport in which men would...
Banner of Ancient Greece depicting Minoan civilization. Source: Matrioshka/Adobe Stock

The Minoans: The First Great European Civilization (Video)

The island of Crete, nestled on the edge of the Aegean Sea, harbored the extraordinary Minoan civilization, a beacon of sophistication during the Bronze Age. The credit for unveiling this forgotten...
Linear A incised on tablets found in Akrotiri, Santorini / ancient Thera ( CC BY-SA 3.0)

Accountant Takes An Accurate Shot At Cracking Bronze Age Script, Linear A

The enigmatic script Linear A has long been one of antiquity's most enduring mysteries. Emanating from Bronze Age Crete, its undecipherable cryptic symbols have frustrated researchers, historians,...
Chania Lighthouse, Crete. Source: Matthew / Adobe Stock.

The Ancient Lighthouse of Chania was a Beacon for Greek Ships (Video)

The historic Lighthouse of Chania has proudly stood along the Cretan coast for centuries, serving as a vital beacon for Greek ships navigating treacherous waters. The Odyssey , an ancient epic,...
Representational image depicting the use of star paths by Minoan civilization. Source: Alessandro Berio / CC BY 4.0

Star Paths Likely Guided Minoan Culture

Minoan civilization may have been heavily dependent on celestial star paths up above to help them navigate their way throughout the Mediterranean. A study has found that Minoan palaces were even...
One of the long sides of the Hagia Triada Sarcophagus, showing Minoan burial practices  Source: Deyan Vasilev / CC BY SA 3.0

Magnificent Hagia Triada Sarcophagus Reflects Minoan Death Culture

One of the most fascinating of the many discoveries to come from the island of Crete is the Hagia Triada Sarcophagus. This beautiful ancient artifact was discovered in 1903 in a chamber tomb in Hagia...
The Falasarna archaeological site in Crete, with a representation of the façade of the temple dedicated to the Goddess Demeter. Source: Greek Ministry of Culture

An Abundance of Artifacts Unearthed at Falasarna Acropolis in Crete

Excavations at the acropolis in Falasarna (also Phalasarna) in the far west of Crete continue to produce rich archaeological bounty. Most recently, hundreds of artifacts including female clay...
Roman theater unearthed at the archaeological site of Lissos on island of Crete. Source: Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports

Timeworn Roman Theater Uncovered at Remote Site of Lissos in Crete

Even today, the Cretan town of Lissos can only be reached by sea or a seemingly endless hike across the stunning landscape and mountains that surround it. Despite previous excavations uncovering...
Typhoid fever salmonella bacteria like this, according to the latest study, were a primary killer along with the plague that could well be the missing reason for the sudden Bronze Age collapse of Near East and Mediterranean societies. Source: sveta / Adobe Stock

Mediterranean Bronze Age Collapse Linked to Deadly Typhoid and Plague

A new genetic research project has revealed evidence of the profound impact highly infectious and dangerous diseases may have had on the Bronze Age collapse in the Mediterranean and Near East region...
Illustration depicting the mythological Talos god. Source: matiasdelcarmine / Adobe Stock

Talos of Crete: A 2,000-Year-Old Tale of the First Robot God

Believe it or not, but ideas of artificial intelligence and automata were alive and well over 2,000 years ago within Greek mythology. The myth of Talos (‘Τάλως’)—the first robot-like creature in...
The rock slab at Trachilos, Crete, where the 6-million-year-old hominin Crete footprints were first discovered in 2002.	Source: Olaf Tausch / CC BY 3.0

Cretan Footprints Challenge Darwin’s Out of Africa Theory, Says Study

The evolution of human bipedalism is supposed to be 4 million years old, beginning with primates, which caused the separation of the first hominids from the rest of the four-legged apes. Walking on...
Phaistos Disc Side A.		Source: C Messier/ CC BY-SA 4.0

The Phaistos Disc: Spiral Secrets Suggest It’s a Festival Calendar

In 1908, Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier was working in southern Crete at an ancient Minoan palace located in the town of Phaistos. Digging amid the ruins he found a clay circular tablet that has...
Minotaur

Myth of the Minotaur: The Making of a Monster

One of the most intriguing myths of ancient Greece is that of the Minotaur on the island of Crete, the bull-headed human-animal hybrid of Greek mythology. The story of the bestial Minotaur trapped in...
One of the new room complexes found at Zominthos where the Minoan religious sanctuary was also found recently.   Source: Ministry of Culture

Minoan Religious Sanctuary and Idols Found in Palace Complex, Crete

A Minoan religious sanctuary and many “ idols ” have recently been discovered in a Minoan palace complex in Greece . The Minoan civilization of Crete is regarded as the first European civilization...
An example, one of very few, of the Minoan Linear A script, found on Crete, Greece.   Source: (Zde / CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Enduring Mystery Of The Minoan Linear A Script Partially Solved!

In a major breakthrough, European researchers have used new methods to decipher the ancient Linear A script of Minoan civilization. The team’s research focused on Linear A fractional mathematical...
Left: bird’s eye view shot of the excavation site, and right: Minoan treasure / gold ring unearthed at site.        Source: Greece Ministry of Culture and Sports

New Minoan Hoard Proves Snails Were Lucrative

Archaeologists working on an uninhabited island off Crete have made a series of amazing discoveries. They have uncovered a Minoan treasure trove linked to the production of a prized purple dye in...
Lost ‘Atlantean Treasures’ Unearthed in Crete

Lost ‘Atlantean Treasures’ Unearthed in Crete

Archaeologists have discovered large quantities of treasure, which may be called ‘Atlantean treasures,’ in ancient Minoan-era buildings in Crete. Excavations conducted this year by Lasithi...
Stone Age sea travel

The Discovery that Revealed Ancient Humans Navigated the Seas 130,000 Years Ago

It was a few years ago that a Greek-American archaeological team made a startling discovery – they found the oldest indications of seafaring and navigation in the world, in an area called Plakia on...
The Abora IV, based on the ancient Egyptian reed boat. Source: Mission ABORA

Oceanic Indiana Jones Attempts to Sail the Black Sea in an Ancient Egyptian Reed Boat

Described by the New York Times as “part P. T. Barnum and part Indiana Jones” an eccentric former German school teacher, Dominique Goerlitz, has told reporters at AFP that he has assembled a team of...
Phaistos Disc

The Curious Phaistos Disc – Ancient Mystery or Clever Hoax?

In 1908 an Italian archaeologist ventured into the ruins of Phaistos, an ancient Minoan palace on the south coast of Crete. In an underground temple depository, among burnt bones, dust, and ashes, he...
"Ladies in Blue" fresco at Knossos Palace, Minoan archaeological site in Crete, Greece.

Controversy Over the Ladies in Blue: Is Most Famous Fresco of the Minoans Just a Modern Interpretation?

The Ladies in Blue is the name given to a fresco from the Palace of Knossos on the island of Crete. This fresco (or rather, fragments of it) was discovered during the excavation of the site by the...
The three Figurines – Cycladic Art

Pre-dating the Minoans: The Cycladic Civilization and Their Unusual ‘Modern’ Art

The Cycladic culture (known also as the Cycladic civilization) is an early Bronze Age culture located in the Cyclades. This culture thrived from around 3200 to 1100 BC, and predated two other major...
Middle Minoan burials – Left; Middle Minoan IA beads, Center; IA primary pit burial of a man, with a bronze dagger (under Funerary Building 2), Right; Early Minoan II and Middle Minoan IA beads and bands of gold.

Minoan Cemetery Reveals Two Early Burials Overflowing with Grave Goods

The Greek Ministry of Culture has announced a major discovery at a cemetery in north-east Crete. It has revealed the unearthing of two graves, with a treasure trove of grave goods that is up to 5000...
Detail of the statuette of the Lady of Auxerre

The Lady of Auxerre: What is the Story Behind Her Archaic Smile?

Elegant and alluring, the Lady of Auxerre has drawn in archaeologists and art enthusiasts alike. Her origins, probably on ancient Crete, provide an added element of interest. Was the female form...

Pages