I + 10 : Crete - A Manufacturing Power House

Fresco of a young, dancing Minoan Noble Woman from Knossos

Seven miles north of Heraklion lies the island of Dia. Four of its bays provide protection against northerly winds. The captain and I debated whether to anchor the MYRA there instead of going to Heraklion’s marina. What looked like an alternative first was unworkable at closer look. Dia’s ridges indeed protect us from the northerlies. But the bays were small and the strong swell would reach our anchor place. Rocky sleeping would be guaranteed. Also, getting  us by tender to Heraklion in choppy waters is too risky. The tours to Knossos and the Architectural Museum were already booked.

Ancient Minoan Shipyard in Niros Hani, a few miles

west of Heraklion and north of Vathianos Kambos

Anchoring in Dia’s Agios Georgios Bay was an intriguing idea though. More than fifty years ago, the famous French explorer and diver Jacques Cousteau – as kids we watched every single of his TV series - found remains of an ancient shipyard and harbor in Georgios Bay. He attributed the rectangular underwater structures to the Minoans. The harbor and the town on the opposite shore served Knossos as its main port. I would love to see a Minoan shipyard in action. It must have been a busy place where all the slim and fast boats were assembled. The Minoan fleet counted hundreds of ships.

The Minoan Settlement was between the River, which leads to Knossos, and the Eastern Port Bastion. The Minoans were the first to use Heraklion's natural Harbor.

At 9 am, our guide Katerina picked us up at the Port Authority for a walking tour through Heraklion’s old town and a visit of the Archeological Museum. The museum would be the highlight of our day. With her trademark “well, well”, she gave us a brief summary of Heraklion’s history and then showed us the Venetian shipyards, the Saint Titus church which was once a mosque, the Morosini fountain (the guy who blew up the Parthenon) and the Venetian town hall. For a renaissance town, Heraklion is unusually large. When the Venetians built the new bastioned walls, they included farmland, gardens and springs to make the town resilient against prolonged sieges (it worked until 1669).

Today's Town-hall was once a Club for Noble Venetian Gentlemen

Heraklion’s Archeological Museum owns the most complete collection of Minoan art. It is organized by periods to illustrate the development of culture and society. What struck me most are the artisanal skills the Minoans developed after 2’500 BC. There were Necklaces made from glass beads (Levant), semi-precious stones (Indus), gold (Egypt) and silver (Macedonia). The craftsman ship is superb. Also that none of these materials exist in Crete. They all had to be imported.

Minoan Necklace from 1400 BC made from Gold, Blue Glass, Rock Crystals and Faience

Equally impressive was the fine table ware the Minoans were able to make,. There are beautifully decorated, delicate cups just one millimeter thick. They look like China but are made from clay. The Minoans must have had kilns with supreme heat control. Earthenware breaks easily if fired at the wrong temperature.

Decorated Minoan Cup made entirely from Clay

It started to dawn on me that calling the Minoans the Mediterranean’s first maritime traders is misleading. Crete was a sophisticated manufacturing power house which imported raw materials from all over the known world and exported finished luxury goods. Without any doubt, Egypt must have been a big client. Hundreds of Minoans must have permanently lived there. How else could we explain a Minoan frescos with monkeys? There were no monkeys on Crete but plenty in Egypt.

Minoan Monkey Fresco with Blue Lotus from 1580 - 1530 BC from Knossos

This blog can never do justice to all the beautiful artefacts we could see today. You must visit when on Crete. It is a unique collection. Just take enough time. We spent 2 1/2 hours in the museum.

This brings me back to Dia, the island north of Heraklion. The Minoan shipyards and ports were vital steps in exporting all these luxury items. Wonder how these delicate pieces were packaged and boxed on their way to their final customers. No wonder they were willing to pay high prices. It is excellent craftsmanship that made the Minoans wealthy.

Insect Pendant from the Palace of Malia 1800 - 1650 BC - the

intricate fine details of this Golden Piece are astonishing

After a light Mezze lunch in town we returned to our boat – it would be a leisurely afternoon. The winds had picked up again. We moved our departure to tomorrow morning to 5 am and will enjoy the sunrise on the sea.

Old Port of Heraklion - the MYRA is anchored just to the right of the Fortezza Rocca a Mare