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Archaeologists on Crete find skeleton covered with gold foil in 2,700-year-old grave

ATHENS, Greece — Greek archaeologists have found an ancient skeleton covered with gold foil in a grave on the island of Crete, officials said Tuesday.

Excavator Nicholas Stampolidis said his team discovered more than 3,000 pieces of gold foil in the 7th-century B.C. twin grave near the ancient town of Eleutherna.

Cemeteries there have produced a wealth of outstanding artifacts in recent years.

The tiny gold ornaments, from 1 to 4 centimetres (0.4 to 1.5 inches) long, had been sewn onto a lavish robe or shroud that initially wrapped the body of a woman and has almost completely rotted away but for a few off-white threads.

"The whole length of the (grave) was covered with small pieces of gold foil — square, circular and lozenge-shaped," Stampolidis told The Associated Press. "We were literally digging up gold interspersed with earth, not earth with some gold in it."

The woman, who presumably had a high social or religious status, was buried with a second skeleton in a large jar sealed with a stone slab weighing more than half a ton. It was hidden behind a false wall, to confuse grave robbers.

Experts are trying to determine the other skeleton's sex.

The grave also contained a copper bowl; pottery; perfume bottles imported from Egypt or Syria and Palestine; hundreds of amber, rock crystal and faience beads; as well as a gold pendant in the form of a bee goddess that probably was part of a rock crystal and gold necklace.

"If you look at it one way up, it's shaped like a lily," said Stampolidis, a professor of archaeology at the University of Crete who has worked at Eleutherna for the 25 years. "Turned upside down, you see a female figure holding her breasts, whose lower body is shaped as a bee with wings. The workmanship is exquisite."

The ruins of Eleutherna stand on the northern foothills of Mount Ida — the mythical birthplace of Zeus, chief of the ancient Greek gods. Past excavations have discovered a citadel, homes and an important cemetery with lavish female burials.

The town flourished from the 9th century B.C. — the dark ages of Greek archaeology that followed the fall of Crete's great Minoan palatial culture — and endured until the Middle Ages.

 By Nicholas Paphitis (CP)

Herbs of Crete

by http://greece.creteisland.gr/

This record have some basic information about some of the thousands of herbs and plants found on Crete and is widely used in our daily diet.

The rich food items Cretan flora has always provided the Cretan household the possibility of cheap food. Minoan frescoes seems obvious the special relationship that they had the old Cretans on the nature and origins of, and illustrates many plants which play a very special role in everyday life and worship.

Apart from edible plants, which were the main food for the Minoans, and there were those who were objects of worship. The Cretan sacred trees carry over the centuries a great testimony to the relationship of Crete - Minoans with nature. And it is no coincidence that such sacred trees, which play a role in the popular cult are still tens of Crete.

In later years, the greens and vegetables were the main food of poor farmers and land. Other consumed raw, such as located in the fields, and other boiled or cooked in various ways. We do not know exactly how the greens cooked the ancient Cretans.

In other areas of Greek herbs and vegetables were considered inferior food, probably because they consumed in abundance.
The chrisimopoiountai raw herbs for salad production in Crete are: Stamnagathi (Cichorium Spinosun).
Medicines for all, as we are informed by Dioscorides, enjoy high-justifiably-assessment in Crete. Collect and eaten with oil and vinegar. The plant is stamnagathi thorny bush, but the thorns are not so sharp as to render difficult the collection of small edible green leaf.

The name is an old habit of Crete: In the bush these concealed openings of the crock, not to bainoyn mesix water bugs). As with all herbs of Crete, the manufacture of salad depends on local circumstances and the imagination of every housewife. It is rare that stamnagathi chrisimopoieitai anamemeigmeno with wild greens with a little onion (is used in green onions and especially the above ground parts) and dill.

Stamnagathi passed with the popular name in literature: "cries a murderer, and xepatonontas stamnagathi throws ..." (Kazantzakis Odyssey, A722)

It serves as a vegetable in cooking and in medicine since they are considered as a most therapeutic herb. A very important ingredient contained therein is cynarine and has been shown to reduce significantly the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in our body, as has been shown in university studies that stimulates bile secretion and use in the treatment of liver failure and incomplete digestion . Also many are saying that it serves to arteriosclerosis, rheumatism, and itching of the sluggishness.
Of the plants with widely used either as teas or as medicinal in Crete are:

Malotiras
It is usually the main ingredient for a beverage wonderful aroma and flavor with other natural herbs and both very good health herbs. Collected from May - August. It is beneficial in diseases of the circulatory system of human body in respiratory problems, digestion and keep the full conditions for the strong response of cold and cough. Especially the use of honey (hot drinks) is the perfect remedy for sore throats.

Chamomile (Marticaria chamomila)
Collected from April to June and dried and used throughout the year. In Crete there is everywhere especially in fallow sites. Characterized as inflammatory, antiallergic, soothing and antiseptic use top quality. Normally consumed as a hot beverage in combination with other Cretan herbs, the perfect combination of relaxation and combating insomnia.

Sage (Salvia fruticosa)
Collected from April to October, is one of the most important herbs of Crete and also the global name of the fully characterized. Salvia comes from the Latin word salvare meaning "save", considering it valuable to the body. Do antiperspirant, against sore throat and headache in the pulmonary diseases, but consider, inter alia, as a diuretic and haemostatic medication. Usually drink a decoction with other important herbs like chamomile.

Dittany (Erontas) Origanum dicatmus
It flowers and collected during the same period from June and October. The herb is perhaps the most erotic, and yet the most dangerous in the collection to grow as cliffs and steep slopes.

You will wonder why it is called "erontas. But of course, because anyone who wanted to show how the girl loves her, offered her dictamo considering it a very bold daring. Use for aromatizing drinks (including wine and liquors) As medicinal herb remedies considered one of the most important one and has the capacity to activate the quick healing of wounds resulting in the patient annarosei quickly. Ideal for stomach pains and sore throat.

Marjoram (Origanum majorana)
Also collects the Summer and feel that is antiseptic, anticonvulsant, and digestive properties

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)
The bloom is June to August and pick up one time and consider one of the most important herbs. It is indigestion of nervous disorders and insomnia. Aromatic usually used in ice cream, fruit sauces to salads and mainly because the smell is very strong and gives a delicious flavor to the salad.

Lime
They are aromatic - medicinal. The flowers are efstomacha. antitussives. softeners spasmolytic, diuretic, expectorant antikatarroika, antipachyntika and efidrotika. It blooms in June - July.

Oregano (Origanum Vulgare)
Do one of the most important herbs of Crete against diarrhea, convulsions of the abdomen, as well as the poison used for toothache.

Daphne (Laurus nobilis)
Many do not know the properties and yet can not appreciate the usefulness of the bushy tree Daphne. Formerly used to strengthen the hair and the decoction used it to spread the States and parts of the body, suffering from rheumatism or muscle contusion. It is very useful for indigestion and for the proper functioning of the stomach.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Previously used as a beverage in headaches as ideal for migraines. It was considered by scientific experts that frequent use is ideal in the baldness of the scalp. It is antibacterial, antiseptic and stimulant much traffic, as well as insomnia

Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
Aromatic plant readily found in many homes even in pots and not among vegetables, and consider as a decorative flower on this special scent which can give any space.

The useful part of this beautiful plant is the flowers that we can collect around the end of August and the aromatic apoxiranoumeChrisimopoieite as a Cretan dishes as well as to flavor oil in combination either alone or with other aromatic herbs also. Relieves migraines, intense headaches from stomatitis, and also calms spasms of the intestines to dizziness to fainting, the gravel and constipation. Previously reduced to a pulp used for soothing effect on the scorpion sting, bee bite, or irritation from nettle.

Savory
It kills bacteria, fungi and microbes on surfaces such as drums was also used against diarrhea.

Honeysuckle
What can we say about this ethereal flower with the intoxicating aroma and blinding beautiful flower. The unique flavor! That is why there is an essential oil of honeysuckle. Usually used by old lovers for skin infections and insomnia.

Almond
We all know the almond tree in general and the leaves and bark of the latter is particularly useful since many have characterized as a medicinal plant. Is normally used for baldness, freckles, burns and nausea.

Oats
Very useful herb medicine and suggest an anti-depression, exhaustion and insomnia. Do one of the very good tonic of the nervous system through vitamins and containing the so-called "tannin."

all in site:
http://greece.creteisland.gr/en/crete-diet/280-herbs-crete.html

New blog : Santorini Greece

Santorini Greece
http://santorini-hotels.blogspot.com/

Crete is a paradise of herbages!

by myron4hersonissos

Summer sundown Crete.

El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos) was born in Northen Crete (labdanum area).

El Greco (1541 – April 7, 1614) was a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" (The Greek) was a nickname, a reference to his Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος (Doménikos Theotokópoulos).

El Greco was born in Northen Crete (labdanum area) which was at that time part of the Republic of Venice, and the centre of Post-Byzantine art. He trained and became a master within that tradition before travelling at age 26 to Venice, as other Greek artists had done. In 1570 he moved to Rome, where he opened a workshop and executed a series of works. During his stay in Italy, El Greco enriched his style with elements of Mannerism and of the Venetian Renaissance. In 1577, he moved to Toledo, Spain, where he lived and worked until his death. In Toledo, El Greco received several major commissions and produced his best known paintings.

El Greco's dramatic and expressionistic style was met with puzzlement by his contemporaries but found appreciation in the 20th century. El Greco is regarded as a precursor of both Expressionism and Cubism, while his personality and works were a source of inspiration for poets and writers such as Rainer Maria Rilke and Nikos Kazantzakis. El Greco has been characterized by modern scholars as an artist so individual that he belongs to no conventional school. He is best known for tortuously elongated figures and often fantastic or phantasmagorical pigmentation, marrying Byzantine traditions with those of Western painting.

I bought newspaper "ΠΡΩΤΟ ΘΕΜΑ" with the movies "El Greco" is the latest film by Greek director Iannis Smaragdis.

Crete Products : Health Benefits of Olive Oil.

The health benefits of olive oil have been recognised by many ancient physicians like Hippocrates, Galen, Dioscorides, and Diocles. In recent years, modern doctors and nutritionists have realised that extra virgin olive oil, particularly, contributes significant nutritional value to human health.

You should not be too surprised if you read that people in the Mediterranean region, where the bulk of olive oil is produced and enthusiastically consumed, have reaped immense health benefits from olive oil.
Olive Oil and Cholesterol

* Researchers at the University of Minnesota, for one, have discovered that while Greek, Cretan and other Mediterranean men consumed almost as much dietary fat as Americans, they had much lower rates of heart disease. The difference was attributed to the Mediterranean’s consumption of extra virgin olive oil, which is largely monounsaturated fat.
* Researchers at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Spain found in a study that a diet rich in extra virgin olive oil helped to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and, perhaps more importantly, stimulated an increase in HDL (good) cholesterol.
* Researchers at the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands discovered that simply following a low fat diet reduced total cholesterol but HDL cholesterol also declined; in contrast, a high fat diet based on extra virgin olive oil also reduced total cholesterol but HDL cholesterol actually increased.

This is all very good for those concerned about their cholesterol levels, especially the good HDL cholesterol, and the effects on the human circulatory system.

History of Olive Oil in Crete.

Greece is full of olive groves. The Olive Tree, "the tree that feeds the children" according to Sophocles, is the protagonist of the Greek nature and history as olive oil is the protagonist of the Greek diet.

The indigenous olive tree (wild olive tree) first appeared in the eastern Mediterranean but it was in Greece that it was first cultivated. Since then, the presence of the olive tree in the Greek region has been uninterrupted and closely connected with the traditions and the culture of the Greek people.

Olive oil, as it is testified by the fossilized olive trees which are 50,000-60,000 thousand years old and were found in the volcanic rocks of Santorini, has always been a distinctive element of the country. Its systematic cultivation started in the pre-historic times - the Stone and Bronze Age.

Olive oil production held a prominent position in the Cretan Minoan and the Mycenaean society and economy as it shown by excavations and findings (earthenware jars, recordings on tablets, remains of oil mills). During the Minoan Period, olives were treated and oil was produced which in turn was stored in earthenware jars and amphorae. Quite often it was exported to the Aegean islands and mainland Greece. Apart from the financial gains, though, the olive tree was worshipped as sacred and its oil, besides being offered to the Gods and the dead, was also used in the production of perfumes, medicine and in daily life as a basic product in diet, lighting and heating.

An undoubted native of Syria and the maritime parts of Asia Minor, its abundance in Greece and the islands of the Archipelago, and the frequent allusions to it by the earliest poets, seem to indicate that the olive tree was there also indigenous; but in localities remote from the Levant it may have escaped from cultivation, reverting more or less to its primitive type. It shows a marked preference for calcareous soils and a partiality for the sea breeze, flourishing with especial luxuriance on the limestone slopes and crags that often form the shores of the Greek peninsula and adjacent islands.

Extra Olive Oil.

The most important qualifier for extra virgin classification is the "absence of sensory defects and the presence of some olive fruitiness."

-- International Olive Council

Many factors will determine the flavor of olive oil including age, type of varietal, where it was grown, climate, rainfall, etc. Also, when the olives are picked will have a big influence. Olives picked when more green tend to have a more robust, peppery, pungent flavor. Olives picked when more ripe, tend to have a softer, more buttery flavor. Bitterness and pungency decline as olives ripen, and oil made from ripe olives can have little or none of those qualities. Ripe oils are also less stable, since bitterness and pungency indicate the presence of antioxidants that preserve freshness. The shelf life of a properly stored high polyphenol olive oil can be up to two years. A ripe, low-polyphenol oil can become rancid in half that time. Degree of ripeness is a question of style and a regional or personal preference. It is important to remember that there is a difference between olive oil tasted straight out of a glass and olive oil used on food. The bitterness and pungency of an oil are much less prominent when the oil is paired with the right food.

Creta Raki

The national drink of Crete is raki (tsikoudia). This is a strong clear liquor which contains about 40% alcohol. It's distilled from the dregs left after the wine is pressed from grapes. These dregs are called the wine-must.

The first Greek raki was distilled in the fourteenth century by monks in the province of Macedonia in northern Greece. From there, the drink distillation method spread throughout Greece. Especially in poor regions people started to produce the drink.

Raki is the Turkish name for a similar drink; although it tastes different the same name is also used on Crete. The Turkish raki is made from prunes and figs instead of wine. It's believed that the name raki derives from the word Iraq (Iraqi).

Everywhere over Crete people are making raki and many small villages have a, whether or not legal, distillery (or Rakizio). Farmers from vineyards save their wine-must in large tanks at their farm. The must remains here for about a month, in the middle of the sun, so the lot could have a little yeast. After this, the winegrowers bring the wine to the distillery in their village, to brew the raki. After this the vintage is celebrated with great family parties and a lot of wine and raki, of course.

The distillation of the wine-must takes approximately 3 hours. The liquid is boiled twice to make sure all hazardous substances, such as methanol, are removed from the drink. At the beginning of the distillation a high alcoholic beverage comes out of the distilling boiler. Later, the percentage lowers. At the end, all the beverage is mixed together to reach an alcohol percentage of 40. However, a (much) higher percentage is of course also possible.

Raki has a very strong flavor and for inexperienced drinkers it is perhaps difficult to keep one shot glass of the stuff inside. The taste of raki is somewhat similar to the Greek ouzo without anise. The taste seems a bit like gin / vodka. It is said that if you drink good and pure raki you won't have a hangover the next day. It is impolite to refuse a glass of raki when someone offers it to you. When you really don't want to drink any more raki, it is wise to not totally empty your glass. The host will otherwise continue to fill it over and over.

The raki which is offered at tourist resorts is often of low quality and not tasty. In some villages you can visit a distillery. The raki, which is offered there is generally of much better quality. When you drive on the island you may come against a small distillery. A visit can be funny, if you do not come with an empty stomach.

Cretan Raki and Wine.

Raki - The fire water

Raki is the unique local Cretan drink that is distilled from what is left over from treading the grapes- marc, must and grape skins. It is a very strong alcoholic drink with an alcohol volume of 40% and is also known as "fire water" among the tourists.

Raki is produced in late August and September and the distillation which is called "kazanemata" is accompanied by great celebrations where meat is grilled and the newly produced Raki is tested. Visitors are always welcome to these events and are also given some "shots" of the drink. This can be an exceptional experience but do not try to compete with the locals at the consumption because you could get really drunk!

Wine

Viticulture and wine production was flourishing in ancient Greece. The ancient Greeks considered wine as an essential pert of their life and they even created divinities for the wine. The same thing applies to Crete, as the Cretan were familiar with the cultivation of grapes from the early days and remains of wine-presses have been found at Cretan palaces. The climate of the island is ideal for the vineyards, with lots of sunshine and high temperatures.

Many areas of Crete are famous for their wine, some of them are Archanes, Peza and Dafnes where a wine festival is held every summer.

History of labdanum from Cistus Creticus - Chypre Perfume. (Part 4)

The collection of genuine labdanum with the traditional way becomes only from the plant Cistus Creticus. Cistus Creticus exists in Eastern Medideranen.The collection labdanum with the traditional way depends:

1. from the plant (only from Cistus Creticus).

2. from the ground.

3. from the climate. The climate is altered with the years so that are altered also the regions from where it is collected labdanum.

I will present all regions where they were collected the laudanum as well as the historical reports.

Part 4: Northen Crete (only place ).

Time: today.

Historical reports:

Pierre Belon(1517-1564).

Pierre Belon was a French naturalist.

Francesco Morosini (1618 – 1694)

Francesco Morosini was the Doge of Venice from 1688 to 1694, at the height of the Great Turkish War. He was a member of famous noble Venetian family by the same name which produced several Doge's and generals.

Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656 - 1708)

Joseph Pitton de Tournefort was a French botanist, notable as the first to make a clear definition of the concept of genus for plants.

Natural History Museum of Crete

"Today the morning I went the Museum of Natural History Crete."


Web Site:http://www.nhmc.uoc.gr/

The Μuseum

The framework and the Objectives

Natural History Museum of Crete has been functioning and operates under the framework of the University of Crete since 1980, being a pioneer institute at national and European level in the following activities:

* Study and Management of the Natural Environment of Crete

* Public awareness, education and sensitisation of local people as well as the visitors of the area

* Link University activities with Cretan society

* Set up a network of Ecological Museums in Greece and throughout the Eastern Mediterranean

Eastern Mediterranean is unique at a global level due to the great ecological and cultural complexity. The evenness as well as the contrast, the stability, many affinities and the special features characterizes the area.

The aim of the Natural History Museum of Crete is the study, protection and promotion of the special features of the area of Eastern Mediterranean.

The foundation and the development of NHMC were favoured by the following conditions:

* The potential of the University of Crete and its ability to promote modern technologies in the field of environment

* The geographical position of Crete, lying it the center of Eastern Mediterranean and the southernmost part of the European Union

* The warm acceptance and support of the local society

Distance (Part 1) : Northern Crete

Northern Crete : Area that produce labdanum with the old ancient and traditional method and the plant Cistus Creticus – Incanus. This region is unique.

Means of transport: Walk with my car .

Time: May Day.

Distance: From my village Sises to Rethimno.

1 stop.
Mountain of my village, Sises.
Everywhere Cistus Creticus.

2 stop
Bali Rethimno
Beautiful tourist place with a lot of hotels and rented rooms

3 stop

Mountain of village Melidoni.
It is in labdanum area and everywhere Cistus Creticus.

4 stop
Psiloritis

Psiloritis is the highest mountain on Crete. Psiloritis is located in the prefecture of Rethymno, the most mountainous of the four prefectures of Crete. Zeus was brought up by Kourites and the nymph Amaltheia. In the woods of Psiloritis also lived Daktyloi, a group of good demons.

5 stop

Geropotamos

6 stop

Rethimno

Happy May Day from Northern Crete.