Ελληνικά
EnglishToday, as technological civilization has reached the zenith of its development, the need is once again emerging to re-examine the origins of its ideas and practices under a “holistic” approach, which is based on the merging of knowledge from different or complementary scientific fields. IYKTOS IKE invests precisely in this idea of merging knowledge and is creating a Center for Cultural Education, Information, and Promotion of Local Products and Activities, the Factory of Symbols and Ideas (FI).
At the Factory of Symbols and Ideas, the visitor can explore the thematic polymorphic exhibition of symbols, writings, and technological achievements of the Aegean Civilization.
Through the offered educational seminars, interested citizens, visitors, professionals, and students can learn about the products of the Cretan-Mycenaean era, the diet of the Minoans, topics of archaeoastronomy–ethnoastronomy, and the Aegean scripts and their symbols.
Location of FI
The Factory of Symbols and Ideas of IYKTOS is located in the district of Troullos in the historic center of Epano Archanes, just 250 meters from the central square. It is situated in a region of Crete where human presence has been continuous from the Late Neolithic period to the present day, lying only a breath away from the “Turkish Quarter,” where excavations revealed the Minoan city of Archanes with its palace complex.
Excavations have revealed the existence of the Old Palace phase, which appears abundantly not only in the cemetery at Fourní but also in the district of Troullos. It is hypothesized that the size of the palace complex as a whole likely encompassed the central core of the present-day town, while the Minoan settlement extended to its outermost points. The construction of the Palace Building can only be compared to the palaces of Knossos and Phaistos. In all the aforementioned areas, significant finds have been uncovered, such as Linear A tablets, a model house that aids in understanding the architecture of Archanes, raw pieces of mountain crystal, obsidian, and steatite.
Specifically, excavations conducted by Sp. Marinatos and G. and E. Sakellarakis revealed structures dating to approximately 1800–1500 BCE in the Troullos district. The architecture of the buildings in Troullos is remarkable; both the architectural remains and movable finds, such as that of a conch shell, indicate the presence here of a particularly important section of the settlement, possibly an annex of the palace building or a “small palace.” In the district of Agios Nikolaos, located southeast of the central core of the Palace Building, a theater space was uncovered, which appears to have suffered extensive damage from later Mycenaean, Greek, and Roman interventions.
The Center for Cultural Education, Information, and Promotion of Local Products and Activities was funded by the program: Rural Development 2014-2020, MEASURE 19.2 LEADER/CLLD – Private Investments, of the Local Action Group CLLD/LEADER of the Heraklion Development Agency S.A. OTA
τοπικών προϊόντων και δραστηριοτήτων