HERAKLION, Crete - Once upon a time, on a Greek island in the Mediterranean, the mighty thunder god Zeus descended from Mount Olympus to try to win the love of a girl named Europa. When he failed, he visited her in the form of a great white bull.

The result of this mystical union was the birth of the demigod Minos, the king of Crete who took his throne at the age of 9 and built a great empire with a palace of wonders in its center.

The ruins of the Palace of Knossos lie three miles west of Heraklion, Crete's largest city, with roughly 170,000 residents. The legend of the Minoan king born of a bull is alive in the stone, wood and dust of the ruins: More than 4,000 visitors are drawn every day to this place where myth and reality collide.

Young and old, archaeologists and amateurs come from all over the world to view this ancient civilization that was built more than 3,000 years ago but still proves more technologically advanced than some modern cities today.

Tourists walk slowly over a complex system of stone aqueducts, reservoirs and drains that kept running water plentiful in the palace and city that were once home to 80,000 people. It was one of the world's first sewage systems.

Children play in the large amphitheater, once used for ancient ceremonies and religious rituals. Adults marvel at murals of hunting and ocean scenes that fill entire walls with reds, blues, greens and golds.

On display are several ornately decorated urns that stand more than 8 feet tall with dozens of handles, all excavated from the site surrounding the palace. The pithoi, or storage vases, were the silos of the past, used to store wheat and oil for times of famine.

Everyone who passes the giant urns gawks and asks the same question:

How did the men and women of antiquity create these huge works of art, much less lift them to pour out their contents?

The palace is thought to have housed about 1,200 rooms. Visitors can peer inside a few remnants of these quarters, imagining royalty bathing in huge stone basins, dining at festivals and praying to the gods at secret ceremonies that gave the islanders a reputation of mystery, even among other Greeks on the mainland.

One of the rooms is decorated with a mural of bright blue dolphins, supported by thick red columns made of cypress wood. It is said to have belonged to the queen of Knossos, the wife of Minos. Her love affair with another bull would plague the king until his death.

The myth continues that the adult king encountered another white bull, not unlike the form his father took at his conception, and prepared to sacrifice it to the sea god Poseidon. He changed his mind and thought to keep the beast for himself out of greed. Poseidon sought to punish him by casting a spell on the queen so she would fall in love with the bull, giving birth to the Minotaur, a mythical half-man, half-bull.

A local engineer named Daedalus was said to have constructed a labyrinth in the palace, with the beast in its center, forever reminding Minos of his sin against Poseidon. The dark, narrow corridors and maze-like feel of the ruins fits the story.

Archaeologists estimate the palace was built around 1900 B.C., was damaged in 1700 B.C. and then rebuilt shortly after, according to archaeologist Anna Michailidou's book "Knossos: A Complete Guide to the Palace of Knossos." It's easy to assume that conquerors from overseas might have been to blame. The Middle East, Africa and much of Europe had easy access to the island.

Archaeologists think the palace was rarely fortified with soldiers, mainly because Minos was said to have maintained a navy unmatched throughout the world.

That fleet was used to bully Athenians in order to get revenge on Poseidon, one of the city's protectors, for cursing Knossos with the Minotaur. Each year, as the myth has it, Athenian youths had to be sacrificed to the Minotaur to appease the residents of Crete so they wouldn't wage war. This went on until the Athenian hero Theseus slew the beast with the aid of King Minos' daughter and Daedalus, the engineer who created the labyrinth.

The palace was destroyed by a fire in about 1375 B.C., and the site wasn't seriously excavated until the beginning of the 20th century.

The myth housed there ends with the great Minoan king, enraged with by the betrayal of his daughter, seeking to kill Daedalus. The engineer hid under the protection of a Sicilian king, and - when Minos tried to exact his revenge - Sicilian princesses scalded him to death with boiling water.

The Minoan king's end isn't entirely tragic. They say his brilliance as a ruler and adjudicator in life landed him a spot as one of three judges in Hades, deciding the fate of all who pass on to the afterlife.

Forevermore, the king of Crete will evoke awe and fear in all who pass through Hades. Just as his great palace lives on today, making every visitor feel a little smaller, a little more humble in its presence.

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In his book "Underworld", Graham Hancock explores the ruins if I remember. He also describes other underwater ruins around the world- off the coast of South America, and Japan. Very interesting stuff.

And it's interesting how many "myths" are coming to light as historical facts- such as the city of Troy was found following clues in the myth.

That city is truly amazing and I do badly want to go there and see it for myself, hopefully soon wether I`m a tourist or an archeaologist I will go and stay there for day afetr day after dat after day after day etc..... This stuff is soooo interesting!!!

When I was younger I went to Crete and visited this amazing site. Sadly I was much younger, and even though it was amazing, I didn't take as much notice as I should have given it. But all the same, I glad to be able to say I walk the maze.

Truly an amazing city! Think i'll add it to my "to do list before i die" thingy.

With shame I admit that, although of Greek origin, having lived in Athens for many years, I have never visited Crete. It's a must for my future plans though..

You might find interesting some info about another ancient city, of less glamour perhaps, but of equal historical importance. It's located in the north Aegean sea, in the island of Lemnos. The city's name is Poliochni, and it's considered to be the oldest city of the European continent.

Me and CatAstrofix were there 2 years ago. It was really great.

Links:

http://www.ypai.gr/atlas/thesi_uk.asp?idthesis=94
http://www.net4you.co.at/users/poellauerg/...nos/lemnos.html
http://www.archaeometry.gr/symposium2003/p...tals/metal3.htm

I think I've heard of that one as well.

I want to visit the ruins that have recently been found off the coast of Japan. You can read more about them in Graham Hancock's book, "Underworld".