CRETE, Discover The House Of Zeus in Rethymno, GREEK MYTHOLOGY
The Ideon Cave or Ideon Andron is found on Mt Ida or Psiloritis, the highest mountain in Crete.
The Ideon Cave is one of the greatest cave sanctuaries in Crete, as important as the major Greek temples. It flourished in antiquity (4000 BC to the 1st century AD).
The Ideon Cave was famous for being the place where Zeus, the Father of the Gods, was born and grew up.
The Ideon Cave is on the east side of Mount Ida in central Crete, at an altitude of 1,498 metres. The cave is 20 kilometres after the village of Anogia and a few metres higher than the Nida Plateau.
On entering the Ideon Andron Cave you find yourself in the main chamber, which is 40 metres long and 50 wide. The chamber has been excavated twice, the first time by Federico Halbherr in 1885 and the second by Yannis Sakellarakis in 1982.
We must note that the Ideon Cave is not particularly impressive as a cave, unlike the Dikteon Cave, which is visited by thousands of people each year.
However, it is no coincidence that the Ideon Cave was chosen as the birthplace and place of worship of the most important god in ancient Greece. The Ideon Cave lies on the mountain-emblem of Crete, Mount Psiloritis, on the south side of which lies another important cave sanctuary, the Kamares Cave. Even today, on the highest peak of Psiloritis, at an altitude of 2,456 metres, there is a tiny stone church dedicated to the Holy Cross, where services are held once or twice a year
Legend has it that Mount Ida has the privilege of seeing the sun before the dawn. It is true that on clear days you can see almost the whole of Crete from here, as well as the Cyclades and even Mount Taygetus in the Peloponnese.
The myth of the birth of Zeus
According to a prophecy, the son of Cronus and Rhea would overthrow his father, who defended his position by devouring his children. Mother Rhea, however, could not bear this, so she tricked her husband and gave him a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes to swallow instead of her last-born son.
She hid the infant deep in a cave where he was nursed by the nymph Melissa and the goat Amalthea, whose horn produced all manner of goods. The baby’s cries were covered by the legendary Curetes, who beat drums and clashed their shields as they danced. Thus the prophecy came true, and when Zeus came of age he overthrew his father Cronus and claimed his power.
Read the whole myth of the birth of Zeus in Crete
Other names of the Ideon Cave
The Ideon Cave, or cave of Ida, is also known as the Spilia tis Voskopoulos (Cave of the Shepherdess). The locals say that near the cave was buried the wife of Charidimos (the lord of Gortys and rival of Erotokritos), who accidentally shot her with an arrow while hunting on Mount Psiloritis, as Vicenzos Kornaros says in his narrative poem Erotokritos (a classic work of Modern Greek literature written in the Cretan dialect).
Another name of the Ideon Cave is the Arkession Andron (Cave of Aid). Worshippers came to the cave to seek the aid of Zeus, who, legend has it, had also received aid in the past and escaped death.
References and myths of the Ideon Cave
One of the pilgrims to the Ideon Cave was the great ancient sage from Samos, Pythagoras. It is said that he took part in the ceremonies at the cave and was even initiated into the mysteries of the Cretan Zeus. We do not know details of the mysteries of the Ideon Cave, because initiates were forbidden to speak of them to the general public.
Pythagoras described an altar carved in the natural rock at the cave entrance, which can still be seen today. Inside the cave was a large ivory throne in honour of Zeus, but this has now been lost.
Festivals were held at the Ideon Cave each year, originally in honour of the god of vegetation, who died and was reborn in the cycle of the seasons. The Minoan god of vegetation was later replaced by the Cretan-born Zeus, the local young Zeus, who according to local myth also died and was reborn each year. Theophrastus tells us that during the ceremonies, worshippers hung offerings from the branches of a poplar in front of the entrance to the cave
Even Minos, the legendary king of Crete, came on pilgrimage to the Ideon sanctuary every nine years to receive the renewed laws from his father Zeus.
ZEUS CAVE - Crete (4K)
Zeus Cave known as a Ideon Andro is nestled into the side of Mount Ida, 55 km from Heraklion, Crete. The Legendary Birthplace of Zeus #zeuscave #crete #creteattractions
Holiday Videos - Crete - Anogia near Cave of Zeus
Cave of Zeus and Heraklion
Jun 11th, 2016.
Day trip to Cave of Zeus and Heraklion - Crete.
Hellas, Crete Zeus Cave, Ideon Andron - Ιδαίο Άντρο
Zeus Cave is known as the Ideon Andron, is nestled into the side of Mt Idi, looking over the Nida Plateau. This remarkable cave is 55 kms from Iraklion in the Psiloritis mountain range in Crete, Greece.
Mythology tells us that Zeus was born or raised in this cave, by the Goddess Rhea, to hide him from his father Chronos who had eaten all his children.
The tales tell that special warriors known as Kouretes danced with shields and metal weapons protected Zeus, making a clashing noise so that his father would not hear him cry. Perhaps these were the original Cretans?
Zeus, of course, went on to become one of the most powerful Gods, he was the God Mt Olympus, ruler of all the Gods, God of Thunder and God of the Sky.
To reach the cave, drive south west from Iraklion to the mountain town of Anogia. From Anogia it is a further 22 kms up steep mountain roads. The road ends at Nida Plateau, with one or two small buildings and a little church. Behind the church, which looks out over the plateau and the mountain range, is a lovely picnic spot. Of course in winter there is snow, sometimes this area is inaccessible.
A couple of hundred metres behind the church is the entrance to the Zeus Cave. The cave sits at 1540 metres above sea level. It is slippery and wet, with a very large cavern to expore, and an inner sanctum. Sometimes it is closed for archaeological excavations, so it is best to check before you visit. The Ideon Andron has been excavated by Giannis and Efi Sakellarakis, respected Cretan archaeologists. Mr Sakellarakis is the former director of the Archaeological Museum of Iraklion and has authored the books on Cretan archaeology; Digging for the Past and Archanes: Minoan Crete in a New Light.
Precious artefacts have been uncovered. Discoveries of bronze statuettes, seal stones, tools and metal objects, copper shields, ivory and gold jewellery, ceramics, and figurines have been made in Zeus cave. Some of the artefacts are stored in the museum in Iraklion, including gold jewellery.
Zeus cave Greece
This video was uploaded from an Android phone.
Crete, Leaving from Zeus cave to Anogia village
Leaving from Zeus cave to Anogia village
Ideon Andron cave ( Zeus cave) pestera, Crete, Greece, Creta, Grecia
The Ideon Andron is situated on the Nida plateau of Mount Psiloritis. Initially its extraordinary large entrance impresses visitors to the Ideon Andron, which is at a height of 1538 m. The cave itself is of particularly large dimensions, with a vast central hall and a gallery of 22 m in length. The cave, in which Zeus was raised according to mythology, represented an important place of worship in both the Minoan and the Roman period.
Music: Demis Roussos - My friend the wind
Road to Zeus's Cave at Dikteon Andron, Lasithi, Crete
This road on the way to where Zeus was supposedly born has some strange powers: the car is in neutral, heading downhill, but it rolls uphill. The Lasithi Plain is known for giving health and long life to its people.
Lassithi Plateau, Zeus Cave and Knossos - CRETE
I'm back with a new video from Crete, Greece!
I was lucky enough to go on a trip to Greece with my mom and took this opportunity to film more videos for my channel.
We decided to go to the island of Crete and this video shows our excursion to a a monastery, the Lassithi Plateau, Zeus Cave, Ceramic and olive oil factory and the palace of Knossos.
I will upload 1 more video after this one. It will be about our jeep safari to the south of the island.
I've also got a special trip planned for the end of the month and hopefully will have lots of videos to upload!
I shot this video with a Canon 80D and a GoPro Hero 5.
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AUSTRALIA (Blue Mountains)
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AUSTRALIA (Royal National Park 2)
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AUSTRALIA (Central Coast)
AUSTRALIA (Morisset Park and Hunter Valley)
AUSTRALIA (Whale watching)
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KENYA (Amboseli)
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Lassithi in snow ZEUS CAVE
Πανοραμικό βίντεο από Οροπέδιο Λασιθίου
Zeus cave, Crete
via YouTube Capture
Crete, Greece - Dikteon Zeus Cave - AtlasVisual
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The cave is on the side of the mountain Dikti in Eastern Crete, at an altitude of 1025m on the northern slopes of Mount Dikti. Legend has it that Zeus himself was born in this striking cave, rich in stalactites and stalagmites. For this reason Diktaion Cave was already famous from ancient times and dedicated to the worship of the gods as proved by the numerous offerings found here. Nowadays Dikteon Cave continues to receive many visitors from every corner of the globe.
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Crete Greece. Was Zeus Real?
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek Islands. Crete lies approximately 160 km south of the Greek mainland. Humans have inhabited the island before 130,000 years, during the Paleolithic age and the center of Europe's first advanced civilization, the Minoans.
In this episode we venture to Psychro Cave with is known to be the birthplace of the mythical god Zeus. This hike is a steep climb but you can ride a donkey up if you so choose. The chamber is massive and you can see why they believe gods lived there.
Next we see Knossos Palace which is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and has been called Europe's oldest city. Settled as early as the Neolithic period, the name Knossos survives from ancient Greek. Built by the Minoans, it covers about 150,000 square feet, the size of more than two football fields, and was surrounded by a town in antiquity. The was excavated in the early 20th century and restored by a team led by British archaeologist Arthur Evans
We were able to see all this in one day before catching a flight back to Athens Greece. One of our best days yet.
My Gear Kit for filming:
GoPro Hero:
DJI Mavic Pro:
DJI Osmo Mobile 2 handheld:
Freevision Gimbal:
Sony RX100 VI compact digital camera:
Music:
Paraiso - Craig Reever
Run Your Way - Dvine
Golden Bullet - Ceen
#Zeus#knossos #crete
Zeus Cave (Crete, Lassithi) - fantastic views/ Пещера Зевса (Крит, Лассити)- фантастические виды
One of the most famous caves in Crete - Dikteys Cave (Cave of Zeus, or Cave of Psychro).
Одна из самых известных пещер на Крите - Диктейская пещера (Пещера Зевса или Пещера Психро). Согласно мифам, Зевс родился именно в этой пещере, расположившейся на северном склоне горного хребта Дикти, на высоте около 1025 метров над уровнем моря, в месте, откуда открываются фантастические виды на плоскогорье Лассити.
Подробнее см.:
One of the most famous caves in Crete - Dikteys Cave (Cave of Zeus, or Cave of Psychro). According to mythology, Zeus was born exactly in this cave is located on the northern slope of the ridge Dikti, at an altitude of 1025 meters above sea level, in a place, which offers fantastic views of the Lassithi Plateau
Kreta erleben Idi Oros die Höhle des Zeus
Von Rethymnon büber Perama, Axos, Anogia zum Psiloritis
The Cave of Dragon in Kastoria
visit Anogia village highlands mitata shepherd's hut
VISIT ANOGIA TRADITIONAL CRETAN VILLAGE ON THE HIGHLANDS OF PSILORITES MOUNTAIN.
Zeus Village 1
Resort-Hotel
Chania
Crete