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Amnisos
Amnisos, also Amnissos and Amnisus (Greek: Ἀμνισός or Ἀμνισσός; Linear B: 𐀀𐀖𐀛𐀰 A-mi-ni-so), is the current but unattested name given to a Bronze Age settlement on the north shore of Crete that was used as a port to the palace city of Knossos. It appears in Greek literature and mythology from the earliest times, but its origin is far earlier, in prehistory.
The historic settlement belonged to a civilization now called Minoan. Excavations at Amnissos in 1932 uncovered a villa that included the "House of the Lilies", which was named for the lily theme that was depicted in a wall fresco.
Amnisos is 7 km east of Heraklion (Iraklio) on a beach used for recreation by the citizens of the modern city. The current sea level is three meters higher than the Bronze Age sea level. The walls of submerged houses are visible from the shore.
The ancient settlement bears the same name as the river exiting there. Currently called the Karteros, from the iron-aged name of Caeratus, the river was the Amnisos during the Bronze Age. Across from its mouth is a very small island called Amnisos. The river begins on Mount Ida in central Crete and runs through Karteros Ravine. During the drier season, the river is reduced to a stream. In his hymn to Artemis, the ancient poet Callimachus names the nymphs of the river the Amnisiades, and makes them part of the retinue of the goddess. The Byzantine grammarian Stephanus of Byzantium mentions the existence of the river in his Ethnica and gives both Amnisiades and Amnisides as the names of the river's nymphs.
There was no navigable stream to Knossos, today part of the port city. The road was lined with very ancient cult sites. One site is the cave of the goddess Eileithyia. It contained objects dating as far back as the Neolithic period. Such a cave is mentioned by Odysseus in the Odyssey, and the ancient Greek geographer Strabo also refers to there being a temple to Eileithyia there.
Amnisos was first excavated in 1932 by Spyridon Marinatos, who discovered the villa and "The House of Lilies", which was named for the only restorable fresco. The two-storeyed villa had ten rooms and included a paved court, a hall with a polythyra, a kitchen area, a shrine, and a bathroom.
The restored 1.8-meter-high lily fresco on the second storey depicts red and white lilies, mint, iris, and papyrus growing in pots. Concerning the date, Matz has this to say:
If it is on the border between the middle Bronze Age (Middle Minoan) and the late Bronze Age (Late Minoan), then the fresco is an early instance of a typical style in the early period of the late Bronze Age, or "Palace Period". Often termed the "naturalistic style", it flourished ca. 1570-1470 BCE. In it are stylized motifs from nature, especially floral, and courtly scenes. The original colors of red, blue, yellow, and black were bright.[citation needed]
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Amnisos
Amnisos, also Amnissos and Amnisus (Greek: Ἀμνισός or Ἀμνισσός; Linear B: 𐀀𐀖𐀛𐀰 A-mi-ni-so), is the current but unattested name given to a Bronze Age settlement on the north shore of Crete that was used as a port to the palace city of Knossos. It appears in Greek literature and mythology from the earliest times, but its origin is far earlier, in prehistory.
The historic settlement belonged to a civilization now called Minoan. Excavations at Amnissos in 1932 uncovered a villa that included the "House of the Lilies", which was named for the lily theme that was depicted in a wall fresco.
Amnisos is 7 km east of Heraklion (Iraklio) on a beach used for recreation by the citizens of the modern city. The current sea level is three meters higher than the Bronze Age sea level. The walls of submerged houses are visible from the shore.
The ancient settlement bears the same name as the river exiting there. Currently called the Karteros, from the iron-aged name of Caeratus, the river was the Amnisos during the Bronze Age. Across from its mouth is a very small island called Amnisos. The river begins on Mount Ida in central Crete and runs through Karteros Ravine. During the drier season, the river is reduced to a stream. In his hymn to Artemis, the ancient poet Callimachus names the nymphs of the river the Amnisiades, and makes them part of the retinue of the goddess. The Byzantine grammarian Stephanus of Byzantium mentions the existence of the river in his Ethnica and gives both Amnisiades and Amnisides as the names of the river's nymphs.
There was no navigable stream to Knossos, today part of the port city. The road was lined with very ancient cult sites. One site is the cave of the goddess Eileithyia. It contained objects dating as far back as the Neolithic period. Such a cave is mentioned by Odysseus in the Odyssey, and the ancient Greek geographer Strabo also refers to there being a temple to Eileithyia there.
Amnisos was first excavated in 1932 by Spyridon Marinatos, who discovered the villa and "The House of Lilies", which was named for the only restorable fresco. The two-storeyed villa had ten rooms and included a paved court, a hall with a polythyra, a kitchen area, a shrine, and a bathroom.
The restored 1.8-meter-high lily fresco on the second storey depicts red and white lilies, mint, iris, and papyrus growing in pots. Concerning the date, Matz has this to say:
If it is on the border between the middle Bronze Age (Middle Minoan) and the late Bronze Age (Late Minoan), then the fresco is an early instance of a typical style in the early period of the late Bronze Age, or "Palace Period". Often termed the "naturalistic style", it flourished ca. 1570-1470 BCE. In it are stylized motifs from nature, especially floral, and courtly scenes. The original colors of red, blue, yellow, and black were bright.[citation needed]