European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 26, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Large jars used to hold wine and Oil were found at several locations around the ruins. Continued from Page 11 decorated the Walls of a Palace should help shed Light on one of egyptology s greatest mysteries a who was ruling Egypt at the time avar is was its capital the frescoes reportedly Are similar in Content and identical in style to the minoan Wall paintings at Knossos the Palace of the legendary King Minos on the outskirts of Iraklion the principal City of Crete. The avar is frescoes were painted As cretan civilization readied its Zenith. They feature typical minoan motifs. One shows people jumping Over hulls a cretan religious practice. Another shows women in cretan costumes while a third depicts cretan style Mountain landscapes. The discoveries of the frescoes will Tuel Dehate As to the cultural and ethnic identity of the pharaohs and who influenced them. Quot the presence of minoan paintings in a Nile Delta Royal Palace suggests that there May have been considerable cretan political or religious influence Quot according to an article in the Independent a British newspaper. The discovery of the minoan style frescoes is viewed As sensational by British archaeologists the newspaper reported. Quot this is an astonishing find. We will have to rethink the history of this important period Quot the paper quoted Janine Bourrian of Cambridge University s Mcdonald Institute for archaeological research. Vrentzos won t have to do any rethinking. The Crete native has Long been convinced that Knossos is where Western civilization got its Start a and he shows visitors a Lone toilet in the Palace As the prime evidence for his belief. A toilet yes a Plain old we. The flush toilet sits in a darkened room in the Queen s chamber and is virtually ignored by the crowds of tourists passing it every Day. The toilet and the Palace s intricate plumbing systems Date Hack roughly 3,800 years. Quot at Ephesus an ancient greek c Ity in turkey700 years later the next known flush toilets were built. But they were not private. They had 34 Marble seats Side by Side. At Knossos the single toilet meant dignity privacy and sell respect. Those things equal civilization Quot rent of says. The Aegean sea Empire that British archaeologist sir Arthur Evans called minoan flourished for More than 1,000 years prior to 1500 . Then it was abruptly snuffed out. Vrentzos and Many leading experts believe that Knossos and the minoan civilization were annihilated by enormous tidal Waves caused by the catastrophic explosion of the Island of Santorini some 70 Miles to the North. Knossos was buried for centuries under Hills and Olive Trees. Evans using his own funds began uncovering it in 1900 and Laboured for years to restore vast sections of it. His work was controversial because his reconstruction went far beyond preserving ruins and actually created something new based on what he believed the Palace looked like. Act rate or not Evans efforts gives wonderful sense of the Palace s form and How its strangely modern looking Flat roofs Rose tier upon tier like some Frank Lloyd Wright creation in the sunny Southwest. There is much to Marvel at within Knossos vast courts and Graceful stairways the play of Light and Shadow King Minos Alabaster throne frescoes of Lithe youths leaping Over bulls Clay bathtubs and giant earthenware jugs used for storing wine and Oil. Knossos was so vast that it gave Rise to the myth that the minotaur the half Man half Bull monster roamed a labyrinth beneath this most wonderful Palace of the ancient world. Quot Knossos was never built to become a labyrinth but with its 1,400 rooms it ended up being one to strangers Quot Vrentzos explains. While some purists disapprove of Evans reconstruction claiming that they Are not accurate Vrentzos disagrees. Quot Evans was much criticized but no one has found a mistake in what he did. There has been no greater archaeologist before or since Quot Vrentzos says adding with considerable emotion Quot Evans did this the reconstruction for us and for our  Knossos is open daily trom 8 . To shortly before Sunset. On saturdays sundays and holidays it is open from 8 80 . To 3 . Admission is 1,000 drachma about $5. It is easily accessible by Public transportation from Iraklion Evangelos Vrentzos frequently leads Tours through the ruins. 12 stripes Magazine september 26, 1991 the delicate Snake goddess is one of the Iraklion museum s finest artefacts. The treasures of Crete Knossos can Only be properly ppr i rated by also visiting the archaeological museum in Iraklion Crete. The museum contains the world s Linest Collie Tion of minoan Art and artefacts. The newest item in the museum is nearly 3,500 years old. One museum room contains three to ensures said to rank among the dozen  works of Antiquity. I he most dramatic of the Trio is a Blue Black soapstone vase a c ceremonial vessel in the shape of a Bull s head. A Lew Lee away is an extraordinary Ivory acrobat Troen in time vaulting a Trull s horns. Across from these is the tiny Bare breasted Snake goddess clutching reptiles in her hands. Another room holds the As yet Une Lei ciphered in Haislop disk founded Negr another Palace on Rete. Some experts think it contains the lost language of the land of Atlantis. The museum also houses the original Hresc Oes irom Knossos the first safety pin circa i 10 1 . And a Pendant depicting two hornets holding a honeycomb perhaps the finest example of Gold work from the am sent world. The air conditioned museum located in the Center of Iraklion i open daily from 8 . To 7 . And admission costs 1,000 about $5. A. King Cruger the reconstructed North Entrance of the Palace at Knossos. September 26, 1991 stripes Magazine 13