Dixton Cave: the legendary birthplace of Zeus

Dictyon Cave is one of the most important and famous religious sites in Crete.

It is located on a high mountain in Crete, Greece, and is related to the birthplace of Zeus, the Greek god.

For centuries, it has been regarded as a sacred place for sacrifice, and few people can enter it.

Using caves as places of worship is one of the basic characteristics of ancient Crete religion, and Dixon Cave is one of the most important and sacred caves.

Dixon Cave, also known as Psychro Cave (because it is close to Psychro Village) or Andron Cave, is located on the northern slope of Dixon Mountain, with an altitude of1.025m (3,360ft), which is located in the Lachi Plateau and the whole eastern part of Crete.

Laxigao, inhabited as early as the Neolithic Age, is one of the few high-altitude settlements in the Mediterranean, Dickton Cave. Now, it consists of five caves.

Caves or spires are similar to rock caves, without stalactites or stalagmites.

Go down the steep stairs to 100 meters and enter the mountainside, and you can see the next hole or Kato minaret.

There is a bigger hall with some small stones on the right. Legend has it that the basin full of water is Zeus' drinking place.

The most impressive sight is a small lake surrounded by huge stalactites and stalagmites, along the stairwell.

There is also a place called "Zeus Mantle", which is a stalactite hanging on the lake, similar to a chandelier. There is a small room behind the lake. It is said that Zeus was born in Dickton Cave in Crete in 2009.

Acknowledgement: Jerry Stezelecki (Wikimedia Association), for the ancient Greeks, Zeus was an omniscient and omniscient god, related to lightning and rain, and was the ruler of all other gods.

He was also the ruler of the sky and the earth, and was regarded by the ancient Greeks as the embodiment of natural laws.

He leads a family of twelve. Other major gods and goddesses call Mount Olympus the highest mountain in Greece.

In Greek mythology, Zeus is said to have been born in Crete.

Hesiod, a Greek epic poet and scholar who thinks he lived in the 8th century BC, told us that Zeus was born near the city of Lektos in the east-central part of Crete, but he did not specify the birthplace of Zeus. Therefore, in 2009, two caves in the Crete Mountains, Dickton and Eden, were proposed as his birthplace and psychological caves in Crete.

Acknowledgement: Jerry Stezelecki (Wikimedia Association), according to the ancient tradition described by Herzog in theosophy, Cronus, the God of Titan's times, and Rhea, the God of Titan's fertility, gave birth to five children in front of Zeus, and all the children ended up in Cronus's belly.

He ate his descendants for fear that they would bring his children to the throne.

When Rhea was pregnant with Zeus, she didn't want him to have the same fate, so she turned to her parents Uranus and Gaia for help.

In order to cheat her husband Cronus, Rhea gave him a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes instead of a baby.

He immediately swallowed the imaginary baby, convinced that his throne would not be threatened by the children.

Meanwhile, Zeus grew up in a cave. He hid in Mount Crete, away from his cannibal father. Saturn (Cronus) ate one of his children. This picture was painted by Rubens 1636- 1638.

(Wikimedia Association) When Rhea gave birth to Zeus, she gave him to the care of an imperial doctor (the god of barren hills), so that Cronus would not hear the cry of the baby Zeus, and the therapists danced wildly with colliding spears and shields, drowning out his voice.

Amartya, a goat's wet nurse, and Melissa, a fairy, also played an important role in his growth.

Amatia sucked the baby with her horn, while Melissa took care of Zeus and fed him honey.

Several other myths revolved around Dickton Cave, and Germany explained its significance to Crete and ancient Greece.

A little-known story tells the story of a harp or a mythical winged girl who once lived there.

Archaeological evidence shows that Dixon Cave was used by ancient humans.

The excavation so far shows that the existence of human beings in Dixton Cave has never been interrupted since the end of Neolithic Age or in the past 6000 years.

As a sacrificial center from Minos to ancient times (2000-700 BC), it continued intermittently in this cave to Roman times (BC 1 century-BC 1 century).

From16th century to 1883, Dickton Cave was used as a shelter by local shepherds and hunters.

At the end of 19, I accidentally discovered the secrets of some caves and their cult significance.

Minoan girl, about 1600- 1500 BC, bronze ware, Minos, Crete, Cleveland Museum of Art. 。

Photo shoot: In 20 12, Wmpearl, Joseph Chatzidakis and Italian archaeologist Federico Halbherr made the first excavation, and in 1886, the site was excavated on a small scale.

1899, British archaeologist David Huo Jiasi started the first systematic excavation.

196 1 year, art historian and archaeologist John boardman published The Discovery of Caves.

Many cultural relics were found in the excavation, such as figurines, tables, double axes, rings, stone tablets engraved with linear characters, religious bronze statues and clay figurines.

In the front hall of Dickten Cave, the foundation of an altar and sacrifices placed in rock cracks were found.

Sacrifices of wheat and animals were burned on the altar.

Many cultural relics are on display in Heraclion Museum and Ashmoline Museum in Oxford, England.

Today, Dykton Cave is a popular tourist attraction, which has left a deep impression on people both physically and geologically. Its rich and fascinating history is characterized by john duncan's painting Zeus and Sitis in 18 1 1.

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Author: Brian hilliard, Brian graduated from Suffolk University with a bachelor's degree in history and art, with a background of volunteering in museums and working with children's groups in the Science Museum and the National Park Service. Read Mor.