Prof. Giovanni Pellegrino


One of the most important civilizations of the Mediterranean was undoubtedly that of Crete. The main city of this ancient civilization was Knossos. Knossos, now a simple village, still exists.
Schliemann, who had discovered Troy and taught the world that Greek legends should be taken seriously, was well aware of Homer’s allusions to Knossos and other sites on the island.
He had planned to excavate Knossos, but after an argument with the local landowner, he was unable to proceed and died shortly after. When the archaeologist Evans saw the piles of ruins that had fascinated Schliemann, he was struck by the desire to begin excavations. But the Turkish government, which then ruled over Crete, refused to grant him permission. When Crete was liberated, Evans returned, bought the remaining property, obtained the support of the new government, and hired 150 workers to assist him in his excavations. Evans needed only nine weeks to make a sensational discovery.
The ruins of the mythical Knossos lay barely more than a meter beneath the surface. The astonished Evans found himself gazing at an extensive network of walls covering at least six acres.
The cellars contained kilometers of storage rooms.
Inside those cellars, Evans found what he was searching for: A collection of nearly 2,000 clay tablets and stone seals.
Evidently, the fire that had destroyed the palace had also incidentally preserved the delicate tablets.
Evans confidently expected to decipher pictograms and writings, but he never succeeded.
It was revealed that the tablets were written in three different unknown languages, one of which remains undecipherable to this day.
Evans declared that he would need at least a year to find something significant, but he never unlocked their secrets.
It must be said that Evans had come to Crete to decipher a writing system—but instead, he uncovered an entire civilization.
Ultimately, he proved that Minoan ships sailed the seas as early as 4000 BCE, long before any other known maritime power.
That civilization, reaching back to the earliest days of humankind, was at least as ancient as the Pharaohs—possibly much older.
To outsiders, it must have appeared grand, peaceful, and benevolent.
There were no fortifications on Crete.
The port of Heraklion, as the Greeks called it, was larger than that of Athens.
On the southern coast of the island, there was Sestos, where stood a majestic palace—entirely unfortified.
Later, two more palaces were uncovered in Crete. Archaeologists began to realize that the Cretan culture was centered around the palace. One of the most astonishing aspects of Cretan civilization was the absence of fortifications.
But why were there no external defensive walls? Why were there practically no signs of weapons or soldiers, even up until the very last years of the empire?
Historians have attempted to provide a convincing answer to this important question.
The control of the seas by a powerful fleet could explain why the Minoan rulers felt secure against invasions from the sea.
But how did they defend themselves if one noble attacked another? Is it possible that there was no need for police protection or for coercion against revolts from lower social classes?
This is undoubtedly another fascinating mystery of Cretan civilization.


The Role of Minos

Within this civilization, historians have attributed great importance to the Cretan king Minos. Many studies have been conducted about the figure of Minos.
It now seems that there were multiple kings named Minos, rather than just one single ruler.
After years of research, scholars realized that the rulers of Knossos were always called Minos, in the same way that Egyptian rulers were all called Pharaoh.
According to James Frazer, an expert in magic and religion, every eight years, Minos climbed to a cave on Mount Ida to report his reign's deeds to his divine father Zeus.
But what is the real meaning of this tradition?
This ritual clearly referenced the fact that without this renewal, every eight years, Minos risked losing his throne.


The Mystery of the Eight-Year Cycle

But why every eight years?
According to Frazer, only once every eight years, the full moon coincides with either the longest or shortest day of the year.
This fact suggests that the Minoans kept accurate records of the sun and moon’s cycles. It seems intuitive that there was a concrete connection between this renewal of the king’s power and the tribute of young boys and girls sent from Athens to Knossos every eight years.
This provides a reason to suspect that the legend of the Minotaur was not entirely false.
But what happened to those Athenian youths once they arrived in Knossos?
Frazer believed that those young people played a role in a terrible ritual.


The Terrifying Legend of Talos

Regarding this, Frazer writes: "Perhaps they were roasted alive inside the image of a bull or a man with a bull’s head, in order to renew the king’s strength.
This, in any case, is suggested by the legend of Talos, the bronze giant who embraced men and hurled himself into the fire with them. It was said that Zeus had placed Talos to guard the island of Crete, which he circled three times a day.
According to one version of the story, he was a bull.
It is not excluded that human victims offered as sacrifices to the idol were roasted inside his hollow body."
The Greeks said that Talos was a bronze giant who kept foreigners away from Crete, either by hurling large boulders at approaching ships or by heating himself until he became incandescent and burning intruders to death with his embrace.
If people at that time truly believed in this story, such a belief could explain the absence of fortifications on the island—since no one would ever dare approach Crete.
Additionally, some legends linked Talos to the great inventor Daedalus, suggesting that Talos was Daedalus’s grandson.
According to other legends, Talos was Daedalus’s apprentice.
Whatever the truth hidden behind these myths, the figures of Minos, Talos, and the Minotaur of the labyrinth made Crete seem incredibly unwelcoming to outsiders.


In the image, Cnosso's palace.

Documento inserito il: 11/06/2025