Voyage to Crete: Iraklion
by Eti Bonn-Muller
July 29, 2009

All roads on Crete eventually lead back to Iraklion, so here I am again. Spent yesterday in transit and organizing my photos and notes. Today, I saw another important salvage dig and toured the Archaeological Museum.

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In the afternoon, I met with Athanasia Kanta, director of Iraklion’s Archaeological Museum, which is currently undergoing extensive renovations. A reopening date is yet to be determined. In the meantime, one large temporary gallery space displays some of the most famous pieces from the museum’s collection, including the “Prince of the Lilies” (or “Priest-King”) fresco from the Minoan Palace at Knossos. Kanta explained that when the work was recently cleaned and conserved, traces of red paint were clearly visible on the body, indicating that the figure was definitely male. (Scholars have debated this for years, considering that artists of the period used white paint to indicate a female figure.) A full interview with Kanta is coming soon!

This entry was posted by Eti Bonn-Muller on Wednesday, July 29, 2009. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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3 comments for "Voyage to Crete: Iraklion"

• Reply posted by hanibal (August 10, 2009, 4:13 am):

  wow, so amazing

       


• Reply posted by Martha Payne (August 30, 2009, 2:45 pm):

  I would like to know where this church is located.

  Also, the image that you say is Dionysos is probably not Dionysos but a personification of the sea at the time of the Last Judgement — This should be on the right; there should be a similar personification showing the earth on the left — sea and earth giving up their dead. See M J. Payne, “The Cassiopeia/Neried Mosaic in Kato Paphos: Images Past and Future” in _Visitors, Imigrants, and Invaders in Cyprus_ ed. by Paul W. Wallace, Institute of Cypriot Studies, SUNY Albany, 1995. pp.51-60, which discusses a 14th c. image in Cyprus. Nevertheless, the images of Sea and Earth in Last Judgment scenes can also be found in churches of Greece and elsewhere.

       


• Reply posted by Kaeli (April 30, 2010, 1:00 pm):

  I think that I was priviledged to be given an impromtu tour of this site in November 2008! I was finishing my arch. degree in Greece and was walking by this site and noticed what was occuring behind the fence. The director saw me and he invited me in and explained what they had found thus far, showed me the wonderful frescos and let me crawl under the gallery they were excavating at the time. it was the highlight of my time in Crete! Thank you for showing these pictures as I was hesitant to ask if I could take some myself.