A subversive approach of the most famous palace of Crete and the Minoan civilisation, with a specialised and highly qualified archaeologist. The excursion includes a rich picnic in nature, adapted to the Minoan Era.
Depending on the travelers' preference, a 2-hour trekking accompanied by a mountain guide may also be included, from the sanctuary of Anemospilia to the peak sanctuary of Juktas, through an ancient path with a stunning view.
Knossos, the great city of Minoan Crete, was the seat of the legendary king of the island, Minos, son of Zeus, and the oriental princess Europe. The earliest ancient sources mention the name of Minos with the word “Enneoros”, i.e. the king his reign lasted nine years. Every nine years Minos ascended to the mountain edge of his land, to receive the law of god himself, essentially to renew the sanction of his nine-year reign. The scenery around the palace of Knossos provides one of the most imaginative mythical landscapes of this nine-year ritual process. On the outskirts of Knossos lays this mountain that may be climbed, and the rivers flowing from this mountain leading to Knossos and the king's palace and forming the paths and roads of this area.
The travelers of PETASSOS will have the opportunity to become acquainted with the “fabulous scenery” of the myth, the landscape of the mountain, the rivers and the roads of the region, where the town and the palace of Knossos were built up. The excursion to this historical landscape, is a chance to know the Minoan's ways of measuring time, i.e. to get to know their calendar. For Minos, the great King of Knossos, as well as for his people, successful time and space management were crucial and important responsibilities.