On Crete - to get acquainted with the Minoan civilization
From now on, travelers in Crete will become even more interesting. Recently, the first Archaeoastronomy Center in Europe was opened here. Archaeoastronomy is a science that studies the life and life of ancient people in terms of their astronomical knowledge. Scientists say that ancient people showed great interest in the sky and celestial bodies, which was reflected in their life in general. This is what the museum exposition of the Center tells about.
Created on the initiative of Minas Tsikritsis, an archaeologist and researcher of the Minoan culture, it is located in the most remote point of southern Greece, in the municipality of Sitia, on the territory of the local port.
This is a unique tourist destination, which has no analogues anywhere in Europe and very few in the world. The first of its kind, the Center will become a reference point, a springboard for the emergence of the following institutions of this type. According to the scientist, the main goal of the Cretan Archaeoastronomy Center is to spread, popularize and cultivate the interest of the inhabitants in the Minoan civilization that existed on earth in 2700 BC. This is one of the Aegean civilizations of the island of Crete, the forerunner of antiquity.
It still largely remains a mystery, which researchers from all over the world are striving to solve. And the more mysteries, the more interesting. The Center exhibits objects that are about six thousand years old. For most of their existence, they lay in the ground, buried under the ruins of civilization. They demonstrate the connection of ancient Greece and earlier cultures with science. One of the exhibits is a Minoan matrix discovered in 1898 in western Crete.
This marvel of prehistoric technology is considered the world's first analog computer. True, it does not consist of iron and microcircuits, but of stone.
For clarity, next to the matrix is a modern computer that predicts future lunar eclipses and shows the trajectory of the moon. Another asset of the Minoan civilization is pan-shaped vessels.
These simple devices date back to 2700 BC. e. The Minoans used them as calendars, determining the positions of the planets and the Sun. Also in the center you can see examples of Cretan writing.
There are Cretan hieroglyphs, linear letters A and B, the Phaistos disc. All this is extremely interesting and informative both for those interested in astronomy and for the layman.