Icarus & Daedalus In the steps of the Myth
About this book Agia Galini is the setting for one of the most enduring myths of Greece - Icarus and Daedalus. This book highlights the Daedalus trail, in modern times. The history surrounding the myth and the locations of the story.
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Agia Galini - home to the story of Icarus and Daedalus
Statues of Icarus and Daedalus watch over the harbour area of the village
Agia Galini, ancient Soulia, was a port in Minoan times, but fell out of use until the late 19th century. Today it is vibrant fishing and tourist area in South Crete. South Crete has rugged terrain, spectacular scenery, and clean and sandy beaches.
In 2012 the Daedalus and Icarus Society of Agia Galini opened a new Greek amphitheater overlooking the harbour. Agia Galini is set to become a cultural capital of Crete.
Icarus & Daedalus Probable history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Knossos - home of King Minos
Daedalus was the court architect for King Minos and was reputed to have built Knossos
Bull jumping was a known pastime in ancient Minoan Crete. The Cretan bull was a well known species, now extinct and fighting the bull was common.
On the south side of Crete, Phaestos - one of the Minoan palaces attributed to Daedalus
Built on a rock promontory overlooking the Messara plain, Phaestos commands a view of the surrounding countryside. It was built from stone quarried not far away at Gortys.
The resultant caves left by the quarrying, are over 2.5km long and are referred to as the Labyrinth caves - see later in this book!
Nearby is the ancient port of Komos and the ancient site of Agia Triada, also both attributed to Daedalus in his role as chief architect to Minos.
Agia Triada is approx 3km from Phaestos
Icarus & Daedalus The Labyrinthine Caves Arthur Evans, the excavator of the palace of Knossos, claimed the labyrinth of ancient times must have been at Knossos due to its large size and endless sequence of rooms. No one knows for sure. However, more realistically, the caves to the south of Crete on the Messara plain have been used as a quarry since ancient history, and given their location, size, shape and references in ancient texts, along with ancient Minoan texts being found in the caves, these would seem more likely. Daedalus was credited with building the caves/labyrinth and as he was chief architect to Minos, and is reputed to have built Phaestos and Agia Triada, then it is more likely he would have used these caves. It is accepted by the Cretan people that the Labyrinth Cave - an ancient quarry-cave to the north of Gortys - is the labyrinth of the Minotaur, although the French archeologist, Paul Faure, claims the cave called Agia Paraskevi near Skotino - was the labyrinth. The caves are over 2,5Km long, and over 9000 sqm in area, and are comprised of tunnels and interlocking rooms. Throughout the ages they have had a variety of uses, from the Romans who also used them as a Quarry, to the middle ages where they were used as a refuge from the Venetians, to the Germans in 1944 who used them for ammunition storage. It was this latter use that led to the caves being largely destroyed by a large explosion. Access to the public is forbidden due to the danger. 1821 map of the Labyrinth Caves near Gortys
Inside the Labyrinthine Caves. These are closed to the public. Are these the caves built by Daedalus and used to house the Minotaur?
Agia Galini, history and name - The ancient city of Soulia The history of Agia Galini goes back millennia. Agia Galini was the historical harbour of Syvritos, a Minoan city that flourished in the Late Minoan period in the foothills of Mt Psiloritis, where the villages of Thronos and Agia Fotini stand today. It was later called Soulia. In antiquity, there was a great temple here dedicated to the goddess Artemis. A few finds from the ancient city were discovered during excavations for the foundations of new houses. Soulia, as a coastal city, suffered from raids by Arab pirates, who destroyed it in 640 AD. It flourished for a second time in the Venetian period, and later its harbour was used several times for resupplying during the risings against the Turks, and also for exporting olive oil and other products from south Crete. However, there was no permanent settlement at Agia Galini until 1884, when villagers from nearby Melambes and Sachtouria moved here and built the new village.tourist development began in the 1970s, and today Agia Galini is considered one of the largest tourist resorts in south Crete. In the Orthodox Church, St Galini (Agia Galini in Greek) is said to have lived and been martyred in Corinth in the 3rd c. AD and her feast-day is celebrated on 16 April. However, the name Galini is very rarely used in Greece. So how did this Cretan village come to have such an unusual name? There are various theories, all based on legend and guesswork. They may not give us a clear answer, but they add a note of mystery to the charm of unique Agia Galini. According to legend, the name Agia Galini is due to the Byzantine Empress Eudocia, who was caught in a great storm as she travelled to the Holy Land by ship. The huge waves threatened to sink the ship with all hands, when Eudocia prayed to the Virgin for aid, promising to build a church in her honour if they were saved. The ship safely reached a sheltered beach in south Crete, so the Empress commanded that the church of Panagia Galini (the Virgin of Serenity) be built, now next to the village cemetery. However, it may also be when Christianity was established the Monastery of Galinios Christos (the Serene Christ) was built over the Temple of Artemis, and the village was named after it.
Minoan family tree (c) www.timelessmyths.com
The Icarus & Daedalus Trail Photographs (c) Martin Fagan