Argophilia Travel News

Bringing Eastern Europe closer to your heart. Sometimes we look at the world too.

Minoan Civilization

Minoan End Times: A Look Into the Primordial Soup of the Gods

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A catastrophe of unimaginable devastation may have put an end to humanity’s brightest moment – the mysterious Minoan Civilization.

London Contemporary Minoans Event to Honor Sophia Kokosalaki

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Coming to the London Museum on November 5th, “Contemporary Minoans: Cretan culture, source of inspiration” will honor Cretan fashion designer Sophia Kokosalaki, who passed away in October. Distinguished academics and designers from Europe will come together in the Terrace Gallery at the Museum of London to showcase the everlasting influence of Minoan culture on the global […]

Discovering Itanos: A Search for a Lost Minoan Palace

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At the far eastern corner of Crete Island, an amazing prehistoric city once existed. Visiting the ruins left at Itanos once gets the sense of lost time, and of the powerful and prosperous people who once lived there. Ancient Itanos was one of the strongest cities in Crete, but little is known of the ancient […]

New Finds at Zominthos Palace Reveal More of the Majestic Minoan World

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Perched 1200 meters above sea level on an isolated plateau in the shadow of Mt. Psilotirits on Crete, the Palace of Zominthos is an extraordinary place. The complex of three-story buildings here served as a sacred temple for the Minoans some 4000 years ago. New finds there today, reveal more about the mysterious Minoan Civilization. […]

The Mystery of the Eteocretans – Gatekeepers of Crete’s Hidden Past

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Homer’s Odyssey tells of the hero Odysseus visiting Crete on his return home. The tale also tells of the unsolved mystery of the Eteocretans.

Join Thrapsano’s “Earth Water Fire” Exploration of Galatas Minoan Palace

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This evening the foremost authority on the Minoan Palace of Galatas will lead a tour of the site as part of the Earth Water Fire Festival.

Europe’s Bureaucrats: Making the Minoans a Footnote of History

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Today, the fate of some of the world’s most treasured Minoan landmarks is still mired in a European bureaucratic bog.

Two Days Staring Into the Eternal On Incredible Crete

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Crete is a multifaceted mystery, a layer cake of human civilization made up of more than 5,000 years of history, tradition, and culture. A recent trip to a lost Minoan city proves once more, the treasure of the island is an eternity of peace.

Exploring Kokkinos Pyrgos: The Forgotten Gem of Mesara

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A day trip from our home in Heraklion to a quaint little touristic village of Kokkinos Pyrgos proves once again the unbelievable discoveries to be found on Greece’s biggest island. Like pulling back successive veils that cover the lovely face of a goddess, exploring Crete is just an amazing experience. Visit with us a tiny deserted touristic gem shining on the Gulf of Mesara.

Leaders Aim to Preserve and Share Crete’s Kommos Palatial Site

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Situated on a hilltop overlooking the Gulf of Messara in south-central Crete, the Minoan settlement of Kommos may reveal amazing secrets from the Bronze Age. However, as fabulous such new discoveries may be, the intersection of modern touristic products and the island’s heritage are brought into sharp focus today. With untold Minoan Civilization discoveries still unearthed, Crete’s beaches and other touristic offerings represent a real crisis dynamic and a public dilemma. The good news is, a new preservation and public access initiative by Heraklion parliamentarian Nikos Igoumenidis and Greece’s  Minister of Culture Lydia Koniordou may pave the way to remedying these cultural points of pain.

Crete’s Sacred Caves – Part I

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The legends and spiritual wonders of Crete may never be fully uncovered. Then again, when local peasants in 1883 discovered ancient votive objects in the now famous Dictaean Cave no modern archaeologist had a clue of Crete’s hidden treasures.