document_title: Saturn (mythology)

question_text: who was originally regarded as wife of saturn

text: Saturn (mythology)

text: Mythology[edit]

text: The Roman soil preserved the remembrance of a very remote time during which Saturn and Janus reigned on the site of the city before its foundation: the Capitol was named mons Saturnius.[1] The Romans identified Saturn with the Greek Cronus, whose myths were adapted for Latin literature and Roman art. In particular, Cronus's role in the genealogy of the Greek gods was transferred to Saturn. As early as Livius Andronicus (3rd century BC), Jupiter was called the son of Saturn.[2]

text: Saturn had two consorts who represented different aspects of the god. The name of his wife Ops, the Roman equivalent of Greek Rhea, means "wealth, abundance, resources."[3] The association with Ops is considered a later development, however, as this goddess was originally paired with Consus.[4] Earlier was Saturn's association with Lua ("destruction, dissolution, loosening"), a goddess who received the bloodied weapons of enemies destroyed in war.[5]

text: Under Saturn's rule, humans enjoyed the spontaneous bounty of the earth without labour in the "Golden Age" described by Hesiod and Ovid.

text: Etymology and epithets[edit]

text:
By Saturn they seek to represent that power which maintains the cyclic course of times and seasons. This is the sense that the Greek name of that god bears, for he is called Kronos, which is the same as Chronos or Time. Saturn for his part got his name because he was "sated" with years; the story that he regularly devoured his own children is explained by the fact that time devours the courses of the seasons, and gorges itself "insatiably" on the years that are past. Saturn was enchained by Jupiter to ensure that his circuits did not get out of control, and to constrain him with the bonds of the stars.
—

Quintus Lucilius Balbus as recorded by Marcus Tullius Cicero and translated by P.G. Walsh, De Natura Deorum (On the Nature of the Gods), Book II, Part ii, Section c [6]

tag: div

text: According to Varro,[7] Saturn's name was derived from satu, meaning "sowing". Even though this etymology looks implausible on linguistic grounds (for the long quantity of the a in Sāturnus and also because of the epigraphically attested form Saeturnus)[8] nevertheless it does reflect an original feature of the god.[9] A more probable etymology connects the name with Etruscan god Satre and placenames such as Satria, an ancient town of Latium, and Saturae palus, a marsh also in Latium. This root may be related to Latin phytonym satureia.[10]

text: Another epithet, variably Sterculius, Stercutus, and Sterces, referred to his agricultural functions;[11] this derives from stercus, "dung" or "manure", referring to re-emergence from death to life.[12] Agriculture was important to Roman identity, and Saturn was a part of archaic Roman religion and ethnic identity. His name appears in the ancient hymn of the Salian priests,[13] and his temple was the oldest known to have been recorded by the pontiffs.

text: Quintus Lucilius Balbus gives a separate etymology in Cicero's De Natura Deorum (On the Nature of the Gods). In this interpretation, the agricultural aspect of Saturn would be secondary to his primary relation with time and seasons. Since Time consumes all things, Balbus asserts that the name Saturn comes from the Latin word satis; Saturn being an anthropomorphic representation of Time, which is filled, or satiated, by all things or all generations. Since agriculture is so closely linked to seasons and therefore and understanding of the cyclical passage of time, it follows that agriculture would then be associated with the deity Saturn.

text: Temple[edit]

text: The temple of Saturn was located at the base of the Capitoline Hill, according to a tradition recorded by Varro[14] formerly known as Saturnius Mons, and a row of columns from the last rebuilding of the temple still stands.[15] The temple was consecrated in 497 BC but the area Saturni was built by king Tullus Hostilius as confirmed by archaeological studies conducted by E. Gjerstad.[16] It housed the state treasury (aerarium) throughout Roman history.

text: Festival's time[edit]

text: The position of Saturn's festival in the Roman calendar led to his association with concepts of time, especially the temporal transition of the New Year. In the Greek tradition, Cronus was sometimes conflated with Chronus, "Time," and his devouring of his children taken as an allegory for the passing of generations. The sickle or scythe of Father Time is a remnant of the agricultural implement of Cronus-Saturn, and his aged appearance represents the waning of the old year with the birth of the new, in antiquity sometimes embodied by Aion. In late antiquity, Saturn is syncretized with a number of deities, and begins to be depicted as winged, as is Kairos, "Timing, Right Time".[17]

text: In Roman religion[edit]

text: Theology and worship[edit]

text: The figure of Saturn is one of the most complex in Roman religion. G. Dumézil refrained from discussing Saturn in his work on Roman religion on the grounds of our insufficient knowledge.[18] On the contrary, his follower Dominique Briquel has attempted a thorough interpretation of Saturn utilising Dumézil's three-functional theory of Indoeuropean religion, taking the ancient testimonies and the works of A. Brelich and G. Piccaluga as his basis.[19]

text: The main difficulty scholars find in studying Saturn is in assessing what is original of his figure and what is due to later hellenising influences. Moreover, some features of the god may be common to Cronus but are nonetheless very ancient and can be considered proper to the Roman god, whereas others are certainly later and arrived after 217 BC, the year in which the Greek customs of the Kronia were introduced into the Saturnalia.[20]

text: Among the features which are definitely authentic of the Roman god, Briquel identifies:

text:
the time of his festival in the calendar, which corresponds to the date of the consecration of his temple (the Greek Cronia on the other hand took place in June–July);
his association with Lua Mater, and
the location of his cult on the Capitol, which goes back to remote times.[21]

text: These three elements in Briquel's view indicate that Saturn is a sovereign god. The god's strict relationship with the cults of the Capitoline Hill and in particular with Jupiter are highlighted by the legends concerning the refusal of gods Iuventas and Terminus to leave their abode in the shrines on the Capitol when the temple of Jupiter was to be built. These two deities correspond to the helper gods of the sovereign in Vedic religion (Briquel refers to Dhritarashtra and Vidura, the figures of the Mahabharata) and to the Cyclopes and Hecatonchires in Hesiod. Whereas the helper gods belong to the second divine generation they become active only at the level of the third in each of the three instances of India, Greece and Rome, where they become a sort of continuation of Jupiter.[22])

text: Dumézil postulated a split of the figure of the sovereign god in Indoeuropean religion, which is embodied by Vedic gods Varuna and Mitra.[23] Of the two, the first one shows the aspect of the magic, uncanny, awe inspiring power of creation and destruction, while the second shows the reassuring aspect of guarantor of the legal order in organised social life. Whereas in Jupiter these double features have coalesced, Briquel sees Saturn as showing the characters of a sovereign god of the Varunian type. His nature becomes evident in his mastership over the annual time of crisis around the winter solstice, epitomised in the power of subverting normal codified social order and its rules, which is apparent in the festival of the Saturnalia, in the mastership of annual fertility and renewal, in the power of annihilation present in his paredra Lua, in the fact that he is the god of a timeless era of plenty and bounty before time, which he reinstates at the time of the yearly crisis of the winter solstice. Also, in Roman and Etruscan reckoning Saturn is a wielder of lightning; no other agricultural god (in the sense of specialized human activity) is one.[24] Hence the mastership he has on agriculture and wealth cannot be that of a god of the third function, i.e. of production, wealth, and pleasure, but it stems from his magical lordship over creation and destruction. Although these features are to be found in Greek god Cronus as well, it appears that those features were proper to Roman Saturn’s most ancient aspects, such as his presence on the Capitol and his association with Jupiter, who in the stories of the arrival of the Pelasgians in the land of the Sicels[25] and that of the Argei orders human sacrifices to him.[26]

text: Sacrifices to Saturn were performed according to "Greek rite" (ritus graecus), with the head uncovered, in contrast to those of other major Roman deities, which were performed capite velato, "with the head covered." Saturn himself, however, was represented as veiled (involutus), as for example in a wall painting from Pompeii that shows him holding a sickle and covered with a white veil. This feature is in complete accord with the character of a sovereign god of the Varunian type and is common with German god Odin. Briquel remarks Servius had already seen that the choice of the Greek rite was due to the fact that the god himself is imagined and represented as veiled, thence his sacrifice cannot be carried out by a veiled man: this is an instance of the reversal of the current order of things typical of the nature of the deity as appears in its festival.[27] Plutarch writes his figure is veiled because he is the father of truth.[28]

text: Pliny notes that the cult statue of Saturn was filled with oil; the exact meaning of this is unclear.[29] Its feet were bound with wool, which was removed only during the Saturnalia.[30] The fact that the statue was filled with oil and the feet were bound with wool may relate back to the myth of "The Castration of Uranus". In this myth Rhea gives Cronus a rock to eat in Zeus' stead, thus tricking Cronus. Although mastership of knots is a feature of Greek origin it is also typical of the Varunian sovereign figure, as apparent e.g. in Odin. Once Zeus was victorious over Cronus, he sets this stone up at Delphi and constantly it is anointed with oil and strands of unwoven wool are placed on it.[31] It wore a red cloak,[32] and was brought out of the temple to take part in ritual processions[33] and lectisternia, banquets at which images of the gods were arranged as guests on couches.[15] All these ceremonial details identify a sovereign figure. Briquel concludes that Saturn was a sovereign god of a time that the Romans perceived as no longer actual, that of the legendary origins of the world, before civilization.[34]

text: Little evidence exists in Italy for the cult of Saturn outside Rome, but his name resembles that of the Etruscan god Satres.[35] The potential cruelty of Saturn was enhanced by his identification with Cronus, known for devouring his own children. He was thus used in translation when referring to gods from other cultures the Romans perceived as severe; he was equated with the Carthaginian god Ba'al Hammon, to whom children were sacrificed, and to Yahweh, whose Sabbath was first referred to as Saturni dies, "Saturn's day," in a poem by Tibullus, who wrote during the reign of Augustus; eventually this gave rise to the word "Saturday" in English.[36] The identification with Ba'al Hammon later gave rise to the African Saturn, a cult that enjoyed great popularity until the 4th century. It had a popular but also a mysteric character and required child sacrifices. It is also considered as inclining to monotheism.[37] In the ceremony of initiation the myste intrat sub iugum, ritual that Leglay compares to the Roman tigillum sororium.[38] Even though their origin and theology are completely different the Italic and the African god are both sovereign and master over time and death, fact that has permitted their encounter. Moreover, here Saturn is not the real Italic god but his Greek counterpart Cronus.

text: Saturnalia[edit]

text: Saturn is associated with a major religious festival in the Roman calendar, Saturnalia. Saturnalia celebrated the harvest and sowing, and ran from December 17–23. During Saturnalia, the social restrictions of Rome were relaxed. The figure of Saturn, kept during the year with its legs bound in wool, was released from its bindings for the period of the festival.[30] The revelries of Saturnalia were supposed to reflect the conditions of the lost "Golden Age" before the rule of Saturn was overthrown, not all of them desirable except as a temporary release from civilized constraint. The Greek equivalent was the Kronia.[39]

text: Macrobius (5th century AD) presents an interpretation of the Saturnalia as a festival of light leading to the winter solstice.[40] The renewal of light and the coming of the new year was celebrated in the later Roman Empire at the Dies Natalis of Sol Invictus, the "Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun," on December 25.[41]

text: Roman legend[edit]

text: It was customary for the Romans to represent divine figures as kings of Latium at the time of their legendary origins.

text: Macrobius states explicitly that the Roman legend of Janus and Saturn is an affabulation, as the true meaning of religious beliefs cannot be openly expressed.[42] In the myth[43] Saturn was the original and autochthonous ruler of the Capitolium, which had thus been called the Mons Saturnius in older times and on which once stood the town of Saturnia.[44] He was sometimes regarded as the first king of Latium or even the whole of Italy.[45] At the same time, there was a tradition that Saturn had been an immigrant god, received by Janus after he was usurped by his son Jupiter and expelled from Greece.[46] In Versnel's view his contradictions—a foreigner with one of Rome's oldest sanctuaries, and a god of liberation who is kept in fetters most of the year—indicate Saturn's capacity for obliterating social distinctions.[47]

text: The Golden Age of Saturn's reign in Roman mythology differed from the Greek tradition. He arrived in Italy "dethroned and fugitive,"[48] but brought agriculture and civilization for which he was rewarded by Janus with a share of the kingdom, becoming himself king. As the Augustan poet Virgil described it, "He gathered together the unruly race" of fauns and nymphs "scattered over mountain heights, and gave them laws ... . Under his reign were the golden ages men tell of: in such perfect peace he ruled the nations."[49] He was considered the ancestor of the Latin nation as he fathered Picus, the first king of Latium, who married Janus' daughter Canens and in his turn fathered Faunus. Saturn was also said to have founded the five Saturnian towns of Latium: Aletrium (today Alatri), Anagnia (Anagni), Arpinum (Arpino), Atina and Ferentinum (Ferentino, also known as Antinum) all located in the Latin Valley, province of Frosinone. All these towns are surrounded by cyclopical walls; their foundation is traditionally ascribed to the Pelasgians.[50]

text: But Saturn also had a less benevolent aspect, as indicated by the blood shed in his honor during gladiatorial munera. His consort in archaic Roman tradition was Lua, sometimes called Lua Saturni ("Saturn's Lua") and identified with Lua Mater, "Mother Destruction," a goddess in whose honor the weapons of enemies killed in war were burned, perhaps as expiation.[51] H.S. Versnel, however, proposed that Lua Saturni should not be identified with Lua Mater, but rather refers to "loosening"; she thus represents the liberating function of Saturn.[52]

text: Gladiatorial munera[edit]

text: Saturn's chthonic nature connected him to the underworld and its ruler Dis Pater, the Roman equivalent of Greek Plouton (Pluto in Latin) who was also a god of hidden wealth.[53] In 3rd-century AD sources and later, Saturn is recorded as receiving gladiatorial offerings (munera) during or near the Saturnalia.[54] These gladiator combats, ten days in all throughout December, were presented by the quaestors and sponsored with funds from the treasury of Saturn.[55]

text: The practice of gladiatorial munera was criticized by Christian apologists as a form of human sacrifice.[56] Although there is no evidence of this practice during the Republican era, the offering of gladiators led to later theorizing that the primeval Saturn had demanded human victims. Macrobius says that Dis Pater was placated with human heads and Saturn with sacrificial victims consisting of men (virorum victimis).[57] The figurines that were exchanged as gifts (sigillaria) during the Saturnalia may have represented token substitutes.[58]

text: On coins[edit]

text: In 104 BC, the plebeian tribune Lucius Appuleius Saturninus issued a denarius depicting Saturn driving a four-horse chariot (quadriga), a vehicle associated with rulers, triumphing generals, and sun gods. Saturninus was a popularist politician who had proposed reduced-price grain distribution to the poor of Rome. The head of the goddess Roma appears on the obverse. The Saturnian imagery played on the tribune's name and his intent to alter the social hierarchy to his advantage by basing his political support on the common people (plebs) rather than the senatorial elite.[59]


document_title: List of Olympic medalists in snowboarding

question_text: how many medals does usa have in snowboarding

root

text: Snowboarding is a sport that has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.[1] Snowboarding was one of five new sports or disciplines added to the Winter Olympic programme between 1990 and 2002, and was the only one not to have been a previous medal or demonstration event.[2] In 1998, four events, two for men and two for women, were held in two specialities: the giant slalom, a downhill event similar to giant slalom skiing; and the half-pipe, in which competitors perform tricks while going from one side of a semi-circular ditch to the other.[2] Canadian Ross Rebagliati won the men's giant slalom and became the first athlete to win a gold medal in snowboarding.[3] Rebagliati was briefly stripped of his medal by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after testing positive for marijuana. However, the IOC's decision was reverted following an appeal from the Canadian Olympic Association.[4] For the 2002 Winter Olympics, the giant slalom was dropped in favour of the parallel giant slalom, an event that involves head-to-head racing.[5] In 2006, a third event, the snowboard cross, was held for the first time. In this event, competitors race against each other down a course with jumps, beams and other obstacles.[6]

tag: p

text: Five athletes have won two medals. Philipp Schoch of Switzerland, Shaun White of the United States and Seth Wescott of the United States are the only double gold medalists.[7][8] Karine Ruby of France and Americans Ross Powers and Danny Kass also won two medals.[9] In the men's half-pipe event, American snowboarders have collected six of nine possible medals, achieving a unique medal sweep in 2002.[10] Overall, the United States won a total of 14 medals, more than any other nation. The Americans and the Swiss collected five gold medals each. As of the 2010 Winter Olympics, 60 medals (20 of each colour) have been awarded since 1998, and have been won by athletes from 14 National Olympic Committees.

text:
Table of contents

Men

Big air • Halfpipe • Parallel giant slalom • Snowboard cross • Slopestyle

Women

Big air • Halfpipe • Parallel giant slalom • Snowboard cross • Slopestyle

Discontinued

Giant slalom (men • women) Parallel slalom (men • women)

Statistics

Athlete medal leaders • Medals per year • Medal sweep events

See also        References        External links

tag: table

text: Men[edit]

text: Big air[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

2018 Pyeongchang
details
Sébastien Toutant
 Canada
Kyle Mack
 United States
Billy Morgan
 Great Britain

text: Halfpipe[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

1998 Nagano
details
Gian Simmen
 Switzerland
Daniel Franck
 Norway
Ross Powers
 United States

2002 Salt Lake City
details
Ross Powers
 United States
Danny Kass
 United States
Jarret Thomas
 United States

2006 Turin
details
Shaun White
 United States
Danny Kass
 United States
Markku Koski
 Finland

2010 Vancouver
details
Shaun White
 United States
Peetu Piiroinen
 Finland
Scott Lago
 United States

2014 Sochi
details
Iouri Podladtchikov
 Switzerland
Ayumu Hirano
 Japan
Taku Hiraoka
 Japan

2018 Pyeongchang
details
Shaun White
 United States
Ayumu Hirano
 Japan
Scott James
 Australia

text: Medals:

tag: ul

text:
[show]Rank
Nation
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total

1
 United States
4
2
3
9

2
  Switzerland
2

2

3
 Japan

2
1
3

4
 Finland

1
1
2

5
 Norway

1

1

6
 Australia

1
1

text: Slalom[edit]

text: Giant slalom[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

1998 Nagano
details
Ross Rebagliati
 Canada
Thomas Prugger
 Italy
Ueli Kestenholz
 Switzerland

text: Parallel giant slalom[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

2002 Salt Lake City
details
Philipp Schoch
 Switzerland
Richard Richardsson
 Sweden
Chris Klug
 United States

2006 Turin
details
Philipp Schoch
 Switzerland
Simon Schoch
 Switzerland
Siegfried Grabner
 Austria

2010 Vancouver
details
Jasey-Jay Anderson
 Canada
Benjamin Karl
 Austria
Mathieu Bozzetto
 France

2014 Sochi
details
Vic Wild
 Russia
Nevin Galmarini
 Switzerland
Žan Košir
 Slovenia

2018 Pyeongchang
details
Nevin Galmarini
 Switzerland
Lee Sang-ho
 South Korea
Žan Košir
 Slovenia

text: Parallel slalom[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

2014 Sochi
details
Vic Wild
 Russia
Žan Košir
 Slovenia
Benjamin Karl
 Austria

text: Snowboard cross[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

2006 Turin
details
Seth Wescott
 United States
Radoslav Židek
 Slovakia
Paul-Henri de Le Rue
 France

2010 Vancouver
details
Seth Wescott
 United States
Mike Robertson
 Canada
Tony Ramoin
 France

2014 Sochi
details
Pierre Vaultier
 France
Nikolay Olyunin
 Russia
Alex Deibold
 United States

2018 Pyeongchang
details
Pierre Vaultier
 France
Jarryd Hughes
 Australia
Regino Hernandez
 Spain

text: Slopestyle[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

2014 Sochi
details
Sage Kotsenburg
 United States
Ståle Sandbech
 Norway
Mark McMorris
 Canada

2018 Pyeongchang
details
Red Gerard
 United States
Max Parrot
 Canada
Mark McMorris
 Canada

text: Women[edit]

text: Big air[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

2018 Pyeongchang
details
Anna Gasser
 Austria
Jamie Anderson
 United States
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
 New Zealand

text: Half-pipe[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

1998 Nagano
details
Nicola Thost
 Germany
Stine Brun Kjeldaas
 Norway
Shannon Dunn
 United States

2002 Salt Lake City
details
Kelly Clark
 United States
Doriane Vidal
 France
Fabienne Reuteler
 Switzerland

2006 Turin
details
Hannah Teter
 United States
Gretchen Bleiler
 United States
Kjersti Buaas
 Norway

2010 Vancouver
details
Torah Bright
 Australia
Hannah Teter
 United States
Kelly Clark
 United States

2014 Sochi
details
Kaitlyn Farrington
 United States
Torah Bright
 Australia
Kelly Clark
 United States

2018 Pyeongchang
details
Chloe Kim
 United States
Liu Jiayu
 China
Arielle Gold
 United States

text: Medals:

text:
[show]Rank
Nation
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total

1
 United States
4
2
4
10

2
 Australia
1
1

2

3
 Germany
1

1

4
 Norway

1
1
2

6
 France. China

1

1

7
  Switzerland

1
1

text: Slalom[edit]

text: Giant slalom[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

1998 Nagano
details
Karine Ruby
 France
Heidi Maria Renoth
 Germany
Brigitte Köck
 Austria

text: Parallel giant slalom[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

2002 Salt Lake City
details
Isabelle Blanc
 France
Karine Ruby
 France
Lidia Trettel
 Italy

2006 Turin
details
Daniela Meuli
 Switzerland
Amelie Kober
 Germany
Rosey Fletcher
 United States

2010 Vancouver
details
Nicolien Sauerbreij
 Netherlands
Yekaterina Ilyukhina
 Russia
Marion Kreiner
 Austria

2014 Sochi
details
Patrizia Kummer
 Switzerland
Tomoka Takeuchi
 Japan
Alena Zavarzina
 Russia

2018 Pyeongchang
details
Ester Ledecká
 Czech Republic
Selina Jörg
 Germany
Ramona Theresia Hofmeister
 Germany

text: Parallel slalom[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

2014 Sochi
details
Julia Dujmovits
 Austria
Anke Karstens
 Germany
Amelie Kober
 Germany

text: Snowboard cross[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

2006 Turin
details
Tanja Frieden
 Switzerland
Lindsey Jacobellis
 United States
Dominique Maltais
 Canada

2010 Vancouver
details
Maëlle Ricker
 Canada
Déborah Anthonioz
 France
Olivia Nobs
 Switzerland

2014 Sochi
details
Eva Samková
 Czech Republic
Dominique Maltais
 Canada
Chloé Trespeuch
 France

2018 Pyeongchang
details
Michela Moioli
 Italy
Julia Pereira de Sousa Mabileau
 France
Eva Samková
 Czech Republic

text: Slopestyle[edit]

text:
Games
Gold
Silver
Bronze

2014 Sochi
details
Jamie Anderson
 United States
Enni Rukajärvi
 Finland
Jenny Jones
 Great Britain

2018 Pyeongchang
details
Jamie Anderson
 United States
Laurie Blouin
 Canada
Enni Rukajärvi
 Finland

text: Statistics[edit]

text: Athlete medal leaders[edit]

text:
Athlete
Nation
Olympics
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total

White, ShaunShaun White
 United States (USA)
2006–2018
3
0
0
3

Anderson, JamieJamie Anderson
 United States (USA)
2014–2018
2
1
0
3

Clark, KellyKelly Clark
 United States (USA)
2002–2018
1
0
2
3

Košir, ŽanŽan Košir
 Slovenia (SLO)
2010-2018
0
1
2
3

Schoch, PhilippPhilipp Schoch
 Switzerland (SUI)
2002–2006
2
0
0
2

Wescott, SethSeth Wescott
 United States (USA)
2006–2010
2
0
0
2

Wild, VicVic Wild
 Russia (RUS)
2014
2
0
0
2

Vaultier, PierrePierre Vaultier
 France (FRA)
2014–2018
2
0
0
2

Bright, TorahTorah Bright
 Australia (AUS)
2010–2014
1
1
0
2

Ruby, KarineKarine Ruby
 France (FRA)
1998–2002
1
1
0
2

Teter, HannahHannah Teter
 United States (USA)
2006–2014
1
1
0
2

Galmarini, NevinNevin Galmarini
 Switzerland (SUI)
2010-2018
1
1
0
2

Samková, EvaEva Samková
 Czech Republic (CZE)
2014–2018
1
0
1
2

Powers, RossRoss Powers
 United States (USA)
1998–2002
1
0
1
2

Kass, DannyDanny Kass
 United States (USA)
2002–2006
0
2
0
2

Hirano, AyumuAyumu Hirano
 Japan (JPN)
2014-2018
0
2
0
2

Maltais, DominiqueDominique Maltais
 Canada (CAN)
2006-2014
0
1
1
2

Kober, AmelieAmelie Kober
 Germany (GER)
2006–2014
0
1
1
2

Karl, BenjaminBenjamin Karl
 Austria (AUT)
2010-2018
0
1
1
2

Rukajärvi, EnniEnni Rukajärvi
 Finland (FIN)
2014–2018
0
1
1
2

McMorris, MarkMark McMorris
 Canada (CAN)
2014-2018
0
0
2
2

text: Medals per year[edit]

text: Numbers in bold indicate the highest medal count at that year's Olympic Games.

text:
Nation
24–94
98
02
06
10
14
18
Total

 Australia (AUS)

–
–
–
1
1
2
4

 Austria (AUT)

1
–
1
2
2
1
7

 Canada (CAN)

1
–
1
3
2
4
11

 China (CHN)

–
–
–
–
—
1
1

 Czech Republic (CZE)

–
–
–
–
1
2
3

 Finland (FIN)

–
–
1
1
1
1
4

 France (FRA)

1
3
1
3
2
2
12

 Germany (GER)

2
–
1
–
2
2
7

 Great Britain (GBR)

–
–
–
–
1
1
2

 Italy (ITA)

1
1
–
–
–
1
3

 Japan (JPN)

–
–
–
–
3
1
4

 Netherlands (NED)

–
–
–
1
–
—
1

 New Zealand (NZL)

–
–
–
–
—
1
1

 Norway (NOR)

2
–
1
–
1
—
4

 Russia (RUS)

–
–
–
1
4
—
5

 Slovakia (SVK)

–
–
1
–
–
—
1

 Slovenia (SLO)

–
–
–
–
2
1
3

 South Korea (KOR)

–
–
–
–
—
1
1

 Spain (ESP)

–
–
–
–
—
1
1

 Sweden (SWE)

–
1
–
–
–
—
1

 Switzerland (SUI)

2
2
4
1
3
1
13

 United States (USA)

2
5
7
5
5
7
31

Year
24–94
98
02
06
10
14
18
–

text: Medal sweep events[edit]

text: These are podium sweep events in which athletes from one NOC won all three medals.

text:
Games
Event
NOC
Gold
Silver
Bronze

2002 Salt Lake City
Men's Halfpipe
 United States (USA)
Ross Powers
Danny Kass
Jarret Thomas


document_title: Battle of Appomattox Court House

question_text: where did the confederates surrender to the union

text: Battle of Appomattox Court House

text: Background[edit]

text: Military situation[edit]

text: The final campaign for Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederate States, began when the Union/Federal/Northern Army of the Potomac crossed the James River in June 1864. The armies under the command of Lt. Gen. and General-in-Chief, Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), laid siege to Petersburg, south of Richmond, intending to cut the two cities' supply lines and force the Confederates to evacuate. In the spring of 1865, Confederate States Army Gen. Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), waited for an opportunity to leave the Petersburg lines, aware that the position was untenable, but Union troops made the first move. On April 1, 1865, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's cavalry turned Lee's flank at the Battle of Five Forks. The next day Grant's army achieved a decisive breakthrough, effectively ending the Petersburg siege. With supply railroad lines cut, Lee's men abandoned the trenches they had held for ten months and evacuated on the night of April 2–3.[3]

text: Lee's first objective was to reassemble and supply his men at Amelia Courthouse. His plan was to link up with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee in North Carolina and go on the offensive after establishing defenses on the Roanoke River in southwest Virginia. When the troops arrived at Amelia on April 4, however, they found no provisions. Lee sent wagons out to the surrounding country to forage, but as a result lost a day's worth of marching time.[3] The army then headed west to Appomattox Station, where another supply train awaited him. Lee's army was now composed of the cavalry corps and two small infantry corps.

text: En route to the station, on April 6 at Sailor's Creek, nearly one fourth of the retreating Confederate army was cut off by Sheridan's cavalry and elements of the II and VI Corps. Two Confederate divisions fought the VI Corps along the creek. The Confederates attacked but were driven back, and soon after the Union cavalry cut through the right of the Confederate lines. Most of the 7,700 Confederates were captured or surrendered, including Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell and eight other general officers.[4] The delay prevented Lee from reaching the Appomattox station until late afternoon on April 8, allowing Sheridan to reach the station ahead of the Southerners that evening, where he captured Lee's supplies and obstructed his path.[5]

text: Following the minor battles of Cumberland Church and High Bridge, on April 7, General Grant sent a note to Lee suggesting that it was time to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia. In a return note, Lee refused the request, but asked Grant what terms he had in mind.[6] On April 8, Union cavalry under Brig. Gen. and Brevet Maj. Gen. George Armstrong Custer captured and burned three supply trains waiting for Lee's army at the Battle of Appomattox Station. Now both the two Federal forces, Army of the Potomac and the Army of the James were converging on Appomattox.

text: With his supplies at Appomattox destroyed, Lee now looked west, to the railway at Lynchburg, where more supplies awaited him. However, on the morning of April 8 a battalion of the 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry was detached from Stoneman's Raid into North Carolina and southwestern Virginia and had made a demonstration to within three miles of Lynchburg, giving the appearance of being the vanguard of a much larger force. Despite this new threat, Lee apparently decided to try for Lynchburg anyway.

text: While the Union Army was closing in on Lee, all that lay between Lee and Lynchburg was Union cavalry. Lee hoped to break through the cavalry before infantry arrived. He sent a note to Grant saying that he did not wish to surrender his army just yet but was willing to discuss how Grant's terms would affect the Confederacy. Grant, suffering from a throbbing headache, stated that "It looks as if Lee still means to fight."[7] The Union infantry was close, but the only unit near enough to support Sheridan's cavalry was Maj. Gen. John Gibbon's XXIV Corps of the Army of the James. This corps traveled 30 miles (48 km) in 21 hours to reach the cavalry. Maj. Gen. Edward O. C. Ord, commander of the Army of the James, arrived with the XXIV Corps around 4:00 a.m. while the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac was close behind. Sheridan deployed his three divisions of cavalry along a low ridge to the southwest of Appomattox Court House.

text: Opposing forces[edit]

text: Union[edit]

text: Confederate[edit]

text: April 9[edit]

text: Battle[edit]

text: At dawn on April 9, the Confederate Second Corps under Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon attacked Sheridan's cavalry and quickly forced back the first line under Brevet Brig. Gen. Charles H. Smith. The next line, held by Brig. Gens. Ranald S. Mackenzie and George Crook, slowed the Confederate advance.[8] Gordon's troops charged through the Union lines and took the ridge, but as they reached the crest they saw the entire Union XXIV Corps in line of battle with the Union V Corps to their right. Lee's cavalry saw these Union forces and immediately withdrew and rode off towards Lynchburg.[9] Ord's troops began advancing against Gordon's corps while the Union II Corps began moving against Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's corps to the northeast. Colonel Charles Venable of Lee's staff rode in at this time and asked for an assessment, and Gordon gave him a reply he knew Lee did not want to hear: "Tell General Lee I have fought my corps to a frazzle, and I fear I can do nothing unless I am heavily supported by Longstreet's corps." Upon hearing it Lee finally stated the inevitable: "Then there is nothing left for me to do but to go and see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths."[3]

text: Many of Lee's officers, including Longstreet, agreed that surrendering the army was the only option left. The only notable officer opposed to surrender was Longstreet's chief of artillery, Brig. Gen. Edward Porter Alexander, who predicted that if Lee surrendered then "every other [Confederate] army will follow suit".

text: At 8:00 a.m., Lee rode out to meet Grant, accompanied by three of his aides. Grant received Lee's first letter on the morning of April 9 as he was traveling to meet Sheridan. Grant recalled his migraine seemed to disappear when he read Lee's letter,[10] and he handed it to his assistant Rawlins to read aloud before composing his reply:

text: General, Your note of this date is but this moment, 11:50 A.M. rec'd., in consequence of my having passed from the Richmond and Lynchburg road. I am at this writing about four miles West of Walker's Church and will push forward to the front for the purpose of meeting you. Notice sent to me on this road where you wish the interview to take place.[11]

text: Grant's response was remarkable in that it let the defeated Lee choose the place of his surrender.[11] Lee received the reply within an hour and dispatched an aide, Charles Marshall, to find a suitable location for the occasion. Marshall scrutinized Appomattox Court House, a small village of roughly twenty buildings that served as a waystation for travelers on the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road.[12] Marshall rejected the first house he saw as too dilapidated, instead settling on the 1848 brick home of Wilmer McLean. McLean had lived near Manassas Junction during the First Battle of Bull Run, and had retired to Appomattox to escape the war.[13]

text: With gunshots still being heard on Gordon's front and Union skirmishers still advancing on Longstreet's front, Lee received a message from Grant. After several hours of correspondence between Grant and Lee, a cease-fire was enacted and Grant received Lee's request to discuss surrender terms.

text: Surrender[edit]

text: Well-dressed in his customary uniform, Lee waited for Grant to arrive. Grant, whose headache had ended when he received Lee's note, arrived at the courthouse in a mud-spattered uniform—a government-issue sack coat with trousers tucked into muddy boots, no sidearms, and with only his tarnished shoulder straps showing his rank.[14] It was the first time the two men had seen each other face-to-face in almost two decades.[13] Suddenly overcome with sadness, Grant found it hard to get to the point of the meeting and instead the two generals briefly discussed their only previous encounter, during the Mexican–American War. Lee brought the attention back to the issue at hand, and Grant offered the same terms he had before:

text: In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th inst., I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of N. Va. on the following terms, to wit: Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate. One copy to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by such officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental commander sign a like parole for the men of their commands. The arms, artillery and public property to be parked and stacked, and turned over to the officer appointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage. This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their paroles and the laws in force where they may reside.[15]

text: The terms were as generous as Lee could hope for; his men would not be imprisoned or prosecuted for treason. Officers were allowed to keep their sidearms, horses, and personal baggage.[16] In addition to his terms, Grant also allowed the defeated men to take home their horses and mules to carry out the spring planting and provided Lee with a supply of food rations for his starving army; Lee said it would have a very happy effect among the men and do much toward reconciling the country.[17] The terms of the surrender were recorded in a document hand written by Grant's adjutant Ely S. Parker, a Native American of the Seneca tribe, and completed around 4 p.m., April 9.[18] Lee, upon discovering Parker to be a Seneca remarked "It is good to have one real American here." Parker replied, "Sir, we are all Americans." As Lee left the house and rode away, Grant's men began cheering in celebration, but Grant ordered an immediate stop. "I at once sent word, however, to have it stopped," he said. "The Confederates were now our countrymen, and we did not want to exult over their downfall," he said.[19] Custer and other Union officers purchased from McLean the furnishings of the room Lee and Grant met in as souvenirs, emptying it of furniture. Grant soon visited the Confederate army, and then he and Lee sat on the McLean home's porch and met with visitors such as Longstreet and George Pickett before the two men left for their capitals.[20]:375

text: On April 10, Lee gave his farewell address to his army.[21] The same day a six-man commission gathered to discuss a formal ceremony of surrender, even though no Confederate officer wished to go through with such an event. Brigadier General (brevet Major General) Joshua L. Chamberlain was the Union officer selected to lead the ceremony. In his memoirs entitled The Passing of the Armies, Chamberlain reflected on what he witnessed on April 12, 1865:

text: The momentous meaning of this occasion impressed me deeply. I resolved to mark it by some token of recognition, which could be no other than a salute of arms. Well aware of the responsibility assumed, and of the criticisms that would follow, as the sequel proved, nothing of that kind could move me in the least. The act could be defended, if needful, by the suggestion that such a salute was not to the cause for which the flag of the Confederacy stood, but to its going down before the flag of the Union. My main reason, however, was one for which I sought no authority nor asked forgiveness. Before us in proud humiliation stood the embodiment of manhood: men whom neither toils and sufferings, nor the fact of death, nor disaster, nor hopelessness could bend from their resolve; standing before us now, thin, worn, and famished, but erect, and with eyes looking level into ours, waking memories that bound us together as no other bond;—was not such manhood to be welcomed back into a Union so tested and assured? Instructions had been given; and when the head of each division column comes opposite our group, our bugle sounds the signal and instantly our whole line from right to left, regiment by regiment in succession, gives the soldier's salutation, from the "order arms" to the old "carry"—the marching salute. Gordon at the head of the column, riding with heavy spirit and downcast face, catches the sound of shifting arms, looks up, and, taking the meaning, wheels superbly, making with himself and his horse one uplifted figure, with profound salutation as he drops the point of his sword to the boot toe; then facing to his own command, gives word for his successive brigades to pass us with the same position of the manual,—honor answering honor. On our part not a sound of trumpet more, nor roll of drum; not a cheer, nor word nor whisper of vain-glorying, nor motion of man standing again at the order, but an awed stillness rather, and breath-holding, as if it were the passing of the dead!

text: Chamberlain's account has been refuted by historian William Marvel, who claims that "few promoted their own legends more actively and successfully than he did." [22] Marvel points out that Chamberlain in fact did not command the federal surrender detail (but only one of the brigades in General Joseph J. Bartlett's division) and that he did not mention any "salute" in his contemporary letters, but only in his memoirs written many decades later when most other eyewitnesses had already died.[23]

text: At the surrender ceremonies, about 28,000 Confederate soldiers passed by and stacked their arms.[24] The Appomattox Roster[25] lists approximately 26,300 men who surrendered. This reference does not include the 7,700 who were captured at Sailor's Creek three days earlier, who were treated as prisoners of war.

text: Aftermath[edit]

text: While General George Meade reportedly shouted that "it's all over" upon hearing the surrender was signed, roughly 175,000 Confederates remained in the field, but were mostly starving and disillusioned. Many of these were scattered throughout the South in garrisons or guerilla bands while the rest were concentrated in three major Confederate commands.[19][26] Just as Porter Alexander had predicted, as news spread of Lee's surrender other Confederate commanders realized that the strength of the Confederacy was gone, and decided to lay down their own arms.

text: Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army in North Carolina, the most threatening of the remaining Confederate armies, surrendered to Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman at Bennett Place in Durham, North Carolina on April 26, 1865. The 98,270 Confederate troops that laid down their weapons (the largest surrender of the war) marked the virtual end of the conflict.

text: General Taylor surrendered his army at Citronelle, Alabama in early May, followed by General Edmund Kirby Smith surrendering the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department on May 26, 1865 near New Orleans, Louisiana. Upon hearing about General Lee's surrender, Nathan Bedford Forrest, "The Wizard of the Saddle", also surrendered, reading his farewell address on May 9, 1865 at Gainesville, Alabama. General Stand Watie surrendered the last sizeable organized Confederate force on June 23, 1865[27] in Choctaw County, Oklahoma.

text: There were several more small battles after Lee's surrender. The Battle of Palmito Ranch on May 12–13, 1865, is commonly regarded as the final land battle of the war. Commander James Iredell Waddell surrendered CSS Shenandoah on November 6, 1865, at Liverpool, Great Britain.

text: Lee never forgot Grant's magnanimity during the surrender, and for the rest of his life would not tolerate an unkind word about Grant in his presence. Likewise, General Gordon cherished Chamberlain's simple act of saluting his surrendered army, calling Chamberlain "one of the knightliest soldiers of the Federal army."[28]

text: Civil War commemorative stamps[edit]

text: During the Civil War Centennial, the United States Post Office issued five postage stamps commemorating the 100th anniversaries of famous battles, as they occurred over a four-year period, beginning with the Battle of Fort Sumter Centennial issue of 1961. The Battle of Shiloh commemorative stamp was issued in 1962, the Battle of Gettysburg in 1963, the Battle of the Wilderness in 1964, and the Appomattox Centennial commemorative stamp in 1965.


document_title: Crete

question_text: where is crete located on the world map

question_tokens: where is crete located on the world map

text: Crete

text: Name[edit]

text: The island is first referred to as Kaptara in texts from the Syrian city of Mari dating from the 18th century BC,[2] repeated later in Neo-Assyrian records and the Bible (Caphtor). It was also known in ancient Egyptian as Keftiu, strongly suggesting a similar Minoan name for the island.[3]

text: The current name of Crete is thought to be first attested in Mycenaean Greek texts written in Linear B, through the words ke-re-te (*Krētes; later Greek: Κρῆτες, plural of Κρής),[4] ke-re-si-jo (*Krēsijos; later Greek: Κρήσιος),[5] "Cretan".[6][7] In Ancient Greek, the name Crete (Κρήτη) first appears in Homer's Odyssey.[8] Its etymology is unknown.  One proposal derives it from a hypothetical Luvian word *kursatta (cf. kursawar "island", kursattar "cutting, sliver").[9] In Latin, it became Creta.

text: The original Arabic name of Crete was Iqrīṭiš (Arabic: اقريطش < (της) Κρήτης), but after the Emirate of Crete's establishment of its new capital at ربض الخندق Rabḍ al-Ḫandaq (modern Iraklion), both the city and the island became known as Χάνδαξ (Khandhax) or Χάνδακας (Khandhakas), which gave Latin and Venetian Candia, from which were derived French Candie and English Candy or Candia. Under Ottoman rule, in Ottoman Turkish, Crete was called Girit (كريت).

text: Physical geography[edit]

text: Crete is the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located in the southern part of the Aegean Sea separating the Aegean from the Libyan Sea.

text: Island morphology[edit]

text: The island has an elongated shape: it spans 260 km (160 mi) from east to west, is 60 km (37 mi) at its widest point, and narrows to as little as 12 km (7.5 mi) (close to Ierapetra). Crete covers an area of 8,336 km2 (3,219 sq mi), with a coastline of 1,046 km (650 mi); to the north, it broaches the Sea of Crete (Greek: Κρητικό Πέλαγος); to the south, the Libyan Sea (Greek: Λιβυκό Πέλαγος); in the west, the Myrtoan Sea, and toward the east the Karpathian Sea. It lies approximately 160 km (99 mi) south of the Greek mainland.

text: Mountains and valleys[edit]

text: Crete is mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from west to east, formed by three different groups of mountains:

text:
The White Mountains or Lefka Ori 2,454 m (8,051 ft)
The Idi Range (Psiloritis 35°11′N 24°49′E / 35.18°N 24.82°E / 35.18; 24.82 2,456 m (8,058 ft)
Kedros 1,777 m (5,830 ft)
The Dikti Mountains 2,148 m (7,047 ft)
Thripti 1,489 m (4,885 ft)

text: These mountains lavished Crete with valleys, such as Amari valley, fertile plateaus, such as Lasithi plateau, Omalos and Nidha; caves, such as Gourgouthakas, Diktaion, and Idaion (the birthplace of the ancient Greek god Zeus); and a number of gorges.

text: Gorges, rivers and lakes[edit]

text: The island has a number of gorges, such as the Samariá Gorge, Imbros Gorge, Kourtaliotiko Gorge, Ha Gorge, Platania Gorge, the Gorge of the Dead (at Kato Zakros, Sitia) and Richtis Gorge and (Richtis) waterfall at Exo Mouliana in Sitia.[10][11][12][13]

text: The rivers of Crete include the Ieropotamos River, the Koiliaris, the Anapodiaris, the Almiros, the Giofyros, and Megas Potamos. There are only two freshwater lakes in Crete: Lake Kournas and Lake Agia, which are both in Chania regional unit.[14] Lake Voulismeni at the coast, at Aghios Nikolaos, was formerly a freshwater lake but is now connected to the sea, in Lasithi.[15] Lakes that were created by dams also exist in Crete. There are three: the lake of Aposelemis dam, the lake of Potamos dam, and the lake of Mpramiana dam.

text:
Ha Gorge

Samariá Gorge

Aradaina Gorge

text: Surrounding islands[edit]

text: A large number of islands, islets, and rocks hug the coast of Crete. Many are visited by tourists, some are only visited by archaeologists and biologists. Some are environmentally protected. A small sample of the islands includes:

text:
Gramvousa (Kissamos, Chania) the pirate island opposite the Balo lagoon
Elafonisi (Chania), which commemorates a shipwreck and an Ottoman massacre
Chrysi island (Ierapetra, Lasithi), which hosts the largest natural Lebanon cedar forest in Europe
Paximadia island (Agia Galini, Rethymno) where the god Apollo and the goddess Artemis were born
The Venetian fort and leper colony at Spinalonga opposite the beach and shallow waters of Elounda (Agios Nikolaos, Lasithi)
Dionysades islands which are in an environmentally protected region together the Palm Beach Forest of Vai in the municipality of Sitia, Lasithi

text: Off the south coast, the island of Gavdos is located 26 nautical miles (48 km) south of Hora Sfakion and is the southernmost point of Europe.

text: Climate[edit]

text: Crete straddles two climatic zones, the Mediterranean and the North African, mainly falling within the former. As such, the climate in Crete is primarily Mediterranean. The atmosphere can be quite humid, depending on the proximity to the sea, while winter is fairly mild. Snowfall is common on the mountains between November and May, but rare in the low-lying areas. While some mountain tops are snow-capped for most of the year, near the coast snow only stays on the ground for a few minutes or hours. However, a truly exceptional cold snap swept the island in February 2004, during which period the whole island was blanketed with snow. During the Cretan summer, average temperatures reach the high 20s-low 30s Celsius (mid 80s to mid 90s Fahrenheit), with maxima touching the upper 30s-mid 40s.

text: The south coast, including the Mesara Plain and Asterousia Mountains, falls in the North African climatic zone, and thus enjoys significantly more sunny days and high temperatures throughout the year. There, date palms bear fruit, and swallows remain year-round rather than migrate to Africa. The fertile region around Ierapetra, on the southeastern corner of the island, is renowned for its exceptional year-round agricultural production, with all kinds of summer vegetables and fruit produced in greenhouses throughout the winter.[16] Western Crete (Chania province) receives more rain and is more erosive compared to the Eastern part of Crete.[17]

text: Geography[edit]

text: Crete is the most populous island in Greece with a population of more than 600,000 people. Approximately 42% live in Crete's main cities and towns whilst 45% live in rural areas.[18]

text: Administration[edit]

text:
Crete RegionΠεριφέρεια Κρήτης
Administrative region of Greece

Coordinates: 35°13′N 24°55′E / 35.21°N 24.91°E / 35.21; 24.91Country
 GreeceCapital
HeraklionRegional units

List[hide]
ChaniaHeraklionRethymnoLasithi
Government • Regional governor
Stavros Arnaoutakis (PASOK)Area • Total
8,335.88 km2 (3,218.50 sq mi)Population (2011)[19] • Total
623,065 • Density
75/km2 (190/sq mi)Time zone
EET (UTC+2) • Summer (DST)
EEST (UTC+3)ISO 3166 code
GR-MWebsite
www.crete.gov.gr

text: Crete with its nearby islands form the Crete Region (Greek: Περιφέρεια Κρήτης, Periféria Krítis), one of the 13 regions of Greece which were established in the 1987 administrative reform.[20] With the 2010 Kallikratis plan, the powers and authority of the regions were redefined and extended. The region is based at Heraklion and is divided into four regional units (pre-Kallikratis prefectures). From west to east these are: Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion, and Lasithi. These are further subdivided into 24 municipalities.

text: The region's governor is, since 1 January 2011, Stavros Arnaoutakis, who was elected in the November 2010 local administration elections for the Panhellenic Socialist Movement.

text: Cities[edit]

text: Heraklion is the largest city and capital of Crete. The principal cities are:

text:
Heraklion (Iraklion or Candia) (173,993 inhabitants)[21]
Chania (Haniá) (108,642 inhabitants)[21]
Rethymno (34,300 inhabitants)[21]
Ierapetra (23,707 inhabitants)
Agios Nikolaos (19,462 inhabitants)
Sitia (14,338 inhabitants)

text:
Port of Heraklion

Chania

Rethymno

text: Economy[edit]

text: Further information: Economy of Greece

text: The economy of Crete is predominantly based on services and tourism. However, agriculture also plays an important role and Crete is one of the few Greek islands that can support itself independently without a tourism industry.[22] The economy began to change visibly during the 1970s as tourism gained in importance. Although an emphasis remains on agriculture and stock breeding, because of the climate and terrain of the island, there has been a drop in manufacturing, and an observable expansion in its service industries (mainly tourism-related). All three sectors of the Cretan economy (agriculture/farming, processing-packaging, services), are directly connected and interdependent. The island has a per capita income much higher than the Greek average, whereas unemployment is at approximately 4%, one-sixth of that of the country overall.

text: As in many regions of Greece, viticulture and olive groves are significant; oranges and citrons are also cultivated. Until recently there were restrictions on the import of bananas to Greece, therefore bananas were grown on the island, predominantly in greenhouses. Dairy products are important to the local economy and there are a number of speciality cheeses such as mizithra, anthotyros, and kefalotyri.

text: Transport infrastructure[edit]

text: The island has three significant airports, Nikos Kazantzakis at Heraklion, the Daskalogiannis airport at Chania and a smaller one in Sitia. The first two serve international routes, acting as the main gateways to the island for travellers.  There is a long-standing plan to replace Heraklion airport with a completely new airport at Kastelli, where there is presently an air force base.

text: The island is well served by ferries, mostly from Athens, by ferry companies such as Minoan Lines and ANEK Lines.

text: Although the road network leads almost everywhere, there is a lack of modern highways, although this is gradually changing with the completion of the northern coastal spine highway.[23]

text: Also, during the 1930s there was a narrow-gauge industrial railway in Heraklion, from Giofyros in the west side of the city to the port.  There are now no railway lines on Crete. The government is planning the construction of a line from Chania to Heraklion via Rethymno.[24][25]

text: Development[edit]

text: Newspapers have reported that the Ministry of Mercantile Marine is ready to support the agreement between Greece, South Korea, Dubai Ports World and China for the construction of a large international container port and free trade zone in southern Crete near Tympaki; the plan is to expropriate 850 ha of land. The port would handle 2 million containers per year, but the project has not been universally welcomed because of its environmental, economic and cultural impact.[26] As of January 2013, the project has still not been confirmed, although there is mounting pressure to approve it, arising from Greece's difficult economic situation.

text: There are plans for underwater cables going from mainland Greece to Israel and Egypt passing by Crete and Cyprus: EuroAfrica Interconnector and EuroAsia Interconnector.[27][28] They would connect Crete electrically with mainland Greece, ending energy isolation of Crete.  Now Hellenic Republic covers for Crete electricity costs difference of around €300 million per year.[29]

text: History[edit]

text: In 2002, the paleontologist Gerard Gierlinski discovered fossil footprints left by ancient human relatives 5,600,000 years ago.[30]

text: Hominids settled in Crete at least 130,000 years ago. In the later Neolithic and Bronze Age periods, under the Minoans, Crete had a highly developed, literate civilisation. It has been ruled by various ancient Greek entities, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Emirate of Crete, the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire. After a brief period of autonomy (1897–1913) under a provisional Cretan government, it joined the Kingdom of Greece. It was occupied by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

text: Prehistoric Crete[edit]

text: The first human settlement in Crete dates before 130,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic age.[31][32][33] Settlements dating to the aceramic Neolithic in the 7th millennium BC, used cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and dogs as well as domesticated cereals and legumes; ancient Knossos was the site of one of these major Neolithic (then later Minoan) sites.[34] Other neolithic settlements include those at Kephala, Magasa, and Trapeza.

text: Minoan civilisation[edit]

text: Crete was the centre of Europe's first advanced civilisation, the Minoan (c. 2700–1420 BC).[1] This civilisation wrote in the undeciphered script known as Linear A. Early Cretan history is replete with legends such as those of King Minos, Theseus and the Minotaur, passed on orally via poets such as Homer. The volcanic eruption of Thera may have been the cause of the downfall of the Minoan civilisation.

text: Mycenean civilisation[edit]

text: In 1420 BC, the Minoan civilisation was overrun by the Mycenean civilisation from mainland Greece. The oldest samples of writing in the Greek language, as identified by Michael Ventris, is the Linear B archive from Knossos, dated approximately to 1425–1375 BC.[35]

text: Archaic and Classical period[edit]

text: After the Bronze Age collapse, Crete was settled by new waves of Greeks from the mainland. A number of city states developed in the Archaic period. There was very limited contact with mainland Greece, and Greek historiography shows little interest in Crete, so that there are very few literary sources.

text: During the 6th to 4th centuries BC, Crete was comparatively free from warfare. The Gortyn code (5th century BC) is evidence for how codified civil law established a balance between aristocratic power and civil rights.

text: In the late 4th century BC, the aristocratic order began to collapse due to endemic infighting among the elite, and Crete's economy was weakened by prolonged wars between city states. During the 3rd century BC, Gortyn, Kydonia (Chania), Lyttos and Polyrrhenia challenged the primacy of ancient Knossos.

text: While the cities continued to prey upon one another, they invited into their feuds mainland powers like Macedon and its rivals Rhodes and Ptolemaic Egypt. In 220 BC the island was tormented by a war between two opposing coalitions of cities. As a result, the Macedonian king Philip V gained hegemony over Crete which lasted to the end of the Cretan War (205–200 BC), when the Rhodians opposed the rise of Macedon and the Romans started to interfere in Cretan affairs.

text: In the 2nd century BC Ierapytna (Ierapetra) gained supremacy on eastern Crete.

text: Roman rule[edit]

text: Crete was involved in the Mithridatic Wars, initially repelling an attack by Roman general Marcus Antonius Creticus in 71 BC. Nevertheless, a ferocious three-year campaign soon followed under Quintus Caecilius Metellus, equipped with three legions and Crete was finally conquered by Rome in 69 BC, earning for Metellus the title "Creticus". Gortyn was made capital of the island, and Crete became a Roman province, along with Cyrenaica that was called Creta et Cyrenaica. When Diocletian redivided the Empire, Crete was placed, along with Cyrene, under the diocese of Moesia, and later by Constantine I to the diocese of Macedonia.

text: Byzantine Empire – first period[edit]

text: Crete was separated from Cyrenaica c. 297. It remained a province within the eastern half of the Roman Empire, usually referred to as the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire after the establishment of a second capital in Constantinople by Constantine in 330 AD. Crete was subjected to an attack by Vandals in 467, the great earthquakes of 365 and 415, a raid by Slavs in 623, Arab raids in 654 and the 670s, and again in the 8th century. Circa 732, the Emperor Leo III the Isaurian transferred the island from the jurisdiction of the Pope to that of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.[36]

text: Arab rule[edit]

text: In the 820s, after 900 years as a Roman, and then Eastern Roman (Byzantine) island, Crete was captured by Andalusian Muladis led by Abu Hafs,[37] who established the Emirate of Crete. The Byzantines launched a campaign that took most of the island back in 842 and 843 under Theoktistos. Further Byzantine campaigns in 911 and 949 failed. In 960/1, Nikephoros Phokas' campaign completely restored Crete to the Byzantine Empire, after a century and a half of Arab control.

text: Byzantine Empire – second period[edit]

text: In 961, Nikephoros Phokas returned the island to Byzantine rule after expelling the Arabs.[38] In 1204, the Fourth Crusade seized and sacked the imperial capital of Constantinople.  Crete was initially granted to leading Crusader Boniface of Montferrat[38] in the partition of spoils that followed. However, Boniface sold his claim to the Republic of Venice,[38] whose forces made up the majority of the Crusade. Venice's rival the Republic of Genoa immediately seized the island and it was not until 1212 that Venice secured Crete as a colony.

text: Venetian rule[edit]

text: From 1212, during Venice's rule, which lasted more than four centuries, a Renaissance swept through the island as is evident from the plethora of artistic works dating to that period. Known as The Cretan School or Post-Byzantine Art, it is among the last flowerings of the artistic traditions of the fallen empire.  The most notable representatives of this Cretan renaissance were the painter El Greco and the writers Nicholas Kalliakis (1645–1707), Georgios Kalafatis (professor) (c. 1652–1720), Andreas Musalus (c. 1665–1721) and Vitsentzos Kornaros.[39][40][41]

text: Under the rule of the Catholic Venetians, the city of Candia was reputed to be the best fortified city of the Eastern Mediterranean.[42] The three main forts were located at Gramvousa, Spinalonga, and Fortezza at Rethymnon. Other fortifications include the Kazarma fortress at Sitia. In 1492, Jews expelled from Spain settled on the island.[43]  In 1574–77, Crete was under the rule of Giacomo Foscarini as Proveditor General, Sindace and Inquistor. According to Starr's 1942 article, the rule of Giacomo Foscarini was a dark age for Jews and Greeks. Under his rule, non-Catholics had to pay high taxes with no allowances. In 1627, there were 800 Jews in the city of Candia, about seven percent of the city's population.[44] Marco Foscarini was the Doge of Venice during this time period.

text: Ottoman rule[edit]

text: The Ottomans conquered Crete in 1669, after the siege of Candia. Many Greek Cretans fled to other regions of the Republic of Venice after the Ottoman–Venetian Wars, some even prospering such as the family of Simone Stratigo (c. 1733 – c. 1824) who migrated to Dalmatia from Crete in 1669.[45] Islamic presence on the island, aside from the interlude of the Arab occupation, was cemented by the Ottoman conquest. Most Cretan Muslims were local Greek converts who spoke Cretan Greek, but in the island's 19th-century political context they came to be viewed by the Christian population as Turks.[46] Contemporary estimates vary, but on the eve of the Greek War of Independence (1830), as much as 45% of the population of the island may have been Muslim.[47] A number of Sufi orders were widespread throughout the island, the Bektashi order being the most prevalent, possessing at least five tekkes. Many among them were crypto-Christians who converted back to Christianity in subsequent years, while many Cretan Turks fled Crete because of the unrest, settling in Turkey, Rhodes, Syria, Libya and elsewhere. By 1900, 11% of the population was Muslim. Those remaining were relocated in 1924 Population exchange between Greece and Turkey.

text: During Easter of 1770, a notable revolt against Ottoman rule, in Crete, was started by Daskalogiannis, a shipowner from Sfakia who was promised support by Orlov's fleet which never arrived. Daskalogiannis eventually surrendered to the Ottoman authorities. Today, the airport at Chania is named after him.

text: Crete was left out of the modern Greek state by the London Protocol of 1830, and soon it was yielded to Egypt by the Ottoman sultan. Egyptian rule was short-lived and sovereignty was returned to the Ottoman Empire by the Convention of London on 3 July 1840.

text: Heraklion was surrounded by high walls and bastions and extended westward and southward by the 17th century. The most opulent area of the city was the northeastern quadrant where all the elite were gathered together. The city had received another name under the rule of the Ottomans, "the deserted city".[42] The urban policy that the Ottoman applied to Candia was a two-pronged approach.[42] The first was the religious endowments. It made the Ottoman elite contribute to building and rehabilitating the ruined city. The other method was to boost the population and the urban revenue by selling off urban properties. According to Molly Greene (2001) there were numerous records of real-estate transactions during the Ottoman rule. In the deserted city, minorities received equal rights in purchasing property. Christians and Jews were also able to buy and sell in the real-estate market.

text: The Cretan Revolt of 1866–1869 or Great Cretan Revolution (Greek: Κρητική Επανάσταση του 1866) was a three-year uprising against Ottoman rule, the third and largest in a series of revolts between the end of the Greek War of Independence in 1830 and the establishment of the independent Cretan State in 1898. A particular event which caused strong reactions among the liberal circles of western Europe was the Holocaust of Arkadi. The event occurred in November 1866, as a large Ottoman force besieged the Arkadi Monastery, which served as the headquarters of the rebellion. In addition to its 259 defenders, over 700 women and children had taken refuge in the monastery. After a few days of hard fighting, the Ottomans broke into the monastery. At that point, the abbot of the monastery set fire to the gunpowder stored in the monastery's vaults, causing the death of most of the rebels and the women and children sheltered there.

text: Cretan State 1898–1908[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Following the repeated uprisings by the Cretan people, who wanted to join Greece in 1841, 1858, 1889, 1895 and 1897, the Great Powers decided to restore order by governing the island temporarily through a committee of four admirals.

text: The Turkish population was expelled from the island by the Great Powers in November 1898. An autonomous Cretan State was founded, under Ottoman suzerainty, symbolized by the white star in the red quadrant of the flag. It was garrisoned by an international military force, and its High Commissioner was Prince George of Greece, who took charge on 9 December 1898.

text: Prince George was replaced as High Commissioner by Alexandros Zaimis in 1906. In 1908, taking advantage of domestic turmoil in Turkey as well as the timing of Zaimis's vacation away from the island, the Cretan deputies unilaterally declared union with Greece.  This was not recognised internationally until 1 December 1913.

text: Second World War[edit]

text: During World War II, the island was the scene of the famous Battle of Crete in May 1941. The initial 11-day battle was bloody and left more than 11,000 soldiers and civilians killed or wounded. As a result of the fierce resistance from Allied forces and Cretan locals, Adolf Hitler forbade further large-scale paratroop operations. During the initial and subsequent occupation, German firing squads routinely executed male civilians in reprisal for the death of German soldiers; civilians were rounded up randomly in local villages for the mass killings, such as at the Massacre of Kondomari and the Viannos massacres. Two German generals were later tried and executed for their roles in the killing of 3,000 of the island's inhabitants.[48]

text: Tourism[edit]

text: Crete is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Greece. 15% of all arrivals in Greece come through the city of Heraklion (port and airport), while charter journeys to Heraklion last year made up 20% of all charter flights in Greece.[citation needed] Overall, more than two million tourists visited Crete last year,[when?] and this increase in tourism is reflected on the number of hotel beds, rising by 53% in the period between 1986 and 1991, when the rest of Greece saw increases of only 25%.

text: Today, the island's tourism infrastructure caters to all tastes, including a very wide range of accommodation; the island's facilities take in large luxury hotels with their complete facilities, swimming pools, sports and recreation, smaller family-owned apartments, camping facilities and others. Visitors reach the island via two international airports in Heraklion and Chania and a smaller airport in Sitia (international charter and domestic flights starting May 2012)[49] or by boat to the main ports of Heraklion, Chania, Rethimno, Agios Nikolaos and Sitia.

text: Popular tourist attractions include the archaeological sites of the Minoan civilisation, the Venetian old city and port of Chania, the Venetian castle at Rethymno, the gorge of Samaria, the islands of Chrysi, Elafonisi, Gramvousa, Spinalonga and the Palm Beach of Vai, which is the largest natural palm forest in Europe.

text: Transportation[edit]

text: Crete has an extensive bus system with regular services across the north of the island and from north to south. There are two regional bus stations in Heraklion. Bus routes and timetables can be found on KTEL website.[50]

text: Holiday homes and immigration[edit]

text: Crete's mild climate attracts interest from northern Europeans who want a holiday home or residence on the island. EU citizens have the right to freely buy property and reside with little formality.[51] A growing number of real estate companies cater to mainly British immigrants, followed by German, Dutch, Scandinavian and other European nationalities wishing to own a home in Crete. The British immigrants are concentrated in the western regional units of Chania and Rethymno and to a lesser extent in Heraklion and Lasithi.[24]

text: Archaeological sites and museums[edit]

text: There is a large number of archaeological sites which include the Minoan sites of Knossos, Malia (not to be confused with the town of the same name), Petras, and Phaistos, the classical site of Gortys, and the diverse archaeology of the island of Koufonisi which includes Minoan, Roman, and World War II ruins. The latter, however, has restricted access for the last few years due to conservation concerns so it is best to check before heading to a port.

text: There are a number of museums throughout Crete. The Heraklion Archaeological Museum displays most of the archaeological finds of the Minoan era and was reopened in 2014.[52]

text:
View of Gortyn

Archaeological site of Phaistos

text: Fauna and flora[edit]

text: Fauna[edit]

text: Crete is isolated from mainland Europe, Asia, and Africa, and this is reflected in the diversity of the fauna and flora. As a result, the fauna and flora of Crete have many clues to the evolution of species. There are no animals that are dangerous to humans on the island of Crete in contrast to other parts of Greece. Indeed, the ancient Greeks attributed the lack of large mammals such as bears, wolves, jackals, and poisonous snakes, to the labour of Hercules (who took a live Cretan bull to the Peloponnese). Hercules wanted to honor the birthplace of Zeus by removing all "harmful" and "poisonous" animals from Crete. Later, Cretans believed that the island was cleared of dangerous creatures by the Apostle Paul, who lived on the island of Crete for two years, with his exorcisms and blessings. There is a Natural History Museum operating under the direction of the University of Crete and two aquariums – Aquaworld in Hersonissos and Cretaquarium in Gournes, displaying sea creatures common in Cretan waters.

text: Prehistoric fauna[edit]

text: Dwarf elephants, dwarf hippopotamus, dwarf mammoths, dwarf deer, and giant flightless owls were native to Pleistocene Crete.[53][54]

text: Mammals[edit]

text: Mammals of Crete include the vulnerable kri-kri, Capra aegagrus cretica that can be seen in the national park of the Samaria Gorge and on Thodorou,[55] Dia and Agioi Pantes (islets off the north coast), the Cretan wildcat and the Cretan spiny mouse.[56][57][58][59] Other terrestrial mammals include subspecies of the Cretan marten, the Cretan weasel, the Cretan badger, the long-eared hedgehog, the edible dormouse and the Cretan shrew, an endemic mammal of Greece, which is threatened with extinction.[60]

text: Bat species include: Blasius's horseshoe bat, the lesser horseshoe bat, the greater horseshoe bat, the lesser mouse-eared bat, Geoffroy's bat, the whiskered bat, Kuhl's pipistrelle, the common pipistrelle, Savi's pipistrelle, the serotine bat, the long-eared bat, Schreibers' bat and the European free-tailed bat.[61]

text:
The Kri-kri (the Cretan ibex) lives in protected natural parks at the gorge of Samaria and the island of Agios Theodoros.

Male Cretan ibex

Cretan Hound or Kritikos Lagonikos, one of Europe's oldest hunting dog breeds

text: Birds[edit]

text: A large variety of birds includes eagles (can be seen in Lasithi), swallows (throughout Crete in the summer and all the year in the south of the island), pelicans (along the coast), and cranes (including Gavdos and Gavdopoula). The Cretan mountains and gorges are refuges for the endangered lammergeier vulture. Bird species include: the golden eagle, Bonelli's eagle, the bearded vulture or lammergeier, the griffon vulture, Eleanora's falcon, peregrine falcon, lanner falcon, European kestrel, tawny owl, little owl, hooded crow, alpine chough, red-billed chough, and the hoopoe.[62][63]

text: Reptiles and amphibians[edit]

text: Tortoises can be seen throughout the island. Snakes can be found hiding under rocks. Toads and frogs reveal themselves when it rains.

text: Reptiles include the aegean wall lizard, balkan green lizard, Chamaeleo chamaeleon, ocellated skink, snake-eyed skink, moorish gecko, turkish gecko, Kotschy's gecko, spur-thighed tortoise, and the stripe-necked terrapin.[61][64]

text: There are four species of snake on the island and these are not dangerous to humans. The four species include the leopard snake (locally known as Ochendra), the Balkan whip snake (locally called Dendrogallia), the dice snake (called Nerofido in Greek), and the only venomous snake is the nocturnal cat snake which has evolved to deliver a weak venom at the back of its mouth to paralyse geckos and small lizards, and is not dangerous to humans.[61][65]

text: Turtles include the green turtle and the loggerhead turtle which are both endangered species.[64] The loggerhead turtle nests and hatches on north-coast beaches around Rethymno and Chania, and south-coast beaches along the gulf of Mesara.[66]

text: Amphibians include the green toad, American toad, common tree frog, and the Cretan marsh frog.[61][64]

text: Arthropods[edit]

text: Crete has an unusual variety of insects. Cicadas, known locally as Tzitzikia, make a distinctive repetitive tzi tzi sound that becomes louder and more frequent on hot summer days. Butterfly species include the swallowtail butterfly.[61] Moth species include the hummingbird moth.[67] There are several species of scorpion such as Euscorpius carpathicus whose venom is generally no more potent than a mosquito bite.

text: Crustaceans and molluscs[edit]

text: River crabs include the semi-terrestrial Potamon potamios crab.[61] Edible snails are widespread and can cluster in the hundreds waiting for rainfall to reinvigorate them.

text: Sealife[edit]

text: Apart from terrestrial mammals, the seas around Crete are rich in large marine mammals, a fact unknown to most Greeks at present, although reported since ancient times. Indeed, the Minoan frescoes depicting dolphins in Queen's Megaron at Knossos indicate that Minoans were well aware of and celebrated these creatures. Apart from the famous endangered Mediterranean monk seal, which lives in almost all the coasts of the country, Greece hosts whales, sperm whales, dolphins and porpoises.[68] These are either permanent residents of the Mediterranean or just occasional visitors. The area south of Crete, known as the Greek Abyss, hosts many of them. Squid and octopus can be found along the coast and sea turtles and hammerhead sharks swim in the sea around the coast. The Cretaquarium and the Aquaworld Aquarium, are two of only three aquariums in the whole of Greece.  They are located in Gournes and Hersonissos respectively. Examples of the local sealife can be seen there.[69][70]

text: Some of the fish that can be seen in the waters around Crete include: scorpion fish, dusky grouper, east Atlantic peacock wrasse, five-spotted wrasse, weever fish, common stingray, brown ray, mediterranean black goby, pearly razorfish, star-gazer, painted comber, damselfish, and the flying gurnard.[71]

text: The loggerhead sea turtle nests and hatches along the beaches of Rethymno and Chania and the gulf of Messara.

text: Flora[edit]

text: Common wildflowers include: camomile, daisy, gladiolus, hyacinth, iris, poppy, cyclamen and tulip, among others.[72] There are more than 200 different species of wild orchid on the island and this includes 14 varieties of Ophrys Cretica.[73] Crete has a rich variety of indigenous herbs including common sage, rosemary, thyme, and oregano.[73][74] Rare herbs include the endemic Cretan dittany.[73][74] and ironwort, Sideritis syriaca, known as Malotira (Μαλοτήρα). Varieties of cactus include the edible prickly pear. Common trees on the island include the chestnut, cypress, oak, olive tree, pine, plane, and tamarisk.[74] Trees tend to be taller to the west of the island where water is more abundant.

text:
Snake lily (Dracunculus vulgaris)

The Ophrys Cretica orchid.

text: Environmentally protected areas[edit]

text: There are a number of environmentally protected areas. One such area is located at the island of Elafonisi on the coast of southwestern Crete. Also, the palm forest of Vai in eastern Crete and the Dionysades (both in the municipality of Sitia, Lasithi), have diverse animal and plant life. Vai has a palm beach and is the largest natural palm forest in Europe. The island of Chrysi, 15 kilometres (9 miles) south of Ierapetra, has the largest naturally grown Juniperus macrocarpa forest in Europe. Samaria Gorge is a World Biosphere Reserve and Richtis Gorge is protected for its landscape diversity.

text: Mythology[edit]

text: Crete has a rich mythology mostly connected with the ancient Greek Gods but also connected with the Minoan civilisation.

text: According to Greek Mythology, The Diktaean Cave at Mount Dikti was the birthplace of the god Zeus. The Paximadia islands were the birthplace of the goddess Artemis and the god Apollo. Their mother, the goddess Leto, was worshipped at Phaistos. The goddess Athena bathed in Lake Voulismeni. The ancient Greek god Zeus launched a lightning bolt at a giant lizard that was threatening Crete. The lizard immediately turned to stone and became the island of Dia. The island can be seen from Knossos and it has the shape of a giant lizard. The islets of Lefkai were the result of a musical contest between the Sirens and the Muses. The Muses were so anguished to have lost that they plucked the feathers from the wings of their rivals; the Sirens turned white and fell into the sea at Aptera ("featherless") where they formed the islands in the bay that were called Lefkai (the islands of Souda and Leon).[75] Hercules, in one of his labors, took the Cretan bull to the Peloponnese. Europa and Zeus made love at Gortys and conceived the kings of Crete, Rhadamanthys, Sarpedon, and Minos.

text: The labyrinth of the Palace of Knossos was the setting for the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur in which the Minotaur was slain by Theseus. Icarus and Daedalus were captives of King Minos and crafted wings to escape. After his death King Minos became a judge of the dead in Hades, while Rhadamanthys became the ruler of the Elysian fields.

text: Culture[edit]

text: Crete has its own distinctive Mantinades poetry. The island is known for its Mantinades-based music (typically performed with the Cretan lyra and the laouto) and has many indigenous dances, the most noted of which is the Pentozali.

text:
Cretan authors have made important contributions to Greek Literature throughout the modern period; major names include Vikentios Kornaros, creator of the 17th-century epic romance Erotokritos (Greek Ερωτόκριτος), and, in the 20th century, Nikos Kazantzakis. In the Renaissance, Crete was the home of the Cretan School of icon painting, which influenced El Greco and through him subsequent European painting.
Crete is also famous for its traditional cuisine. The nutritional value of the Cretan cuisine was discovered by the American epidemiologist Ancel Keys in the 1960, being later often mentioned by epidemiologists as one of the best examples of the Mediterranean diet.[76]

text: Cretans are fiercely proud of their island and customs, and men often don elements of traditional dress in everyday life: knee-high black riding boots (stivania), vráka breeches tucked into the boots at the knee, black shirt and black headdress consisting of a fishnet-weave kerchief worn wrapped around the head or draped on the shoulders (sariki).  Men often grow large mustaches as a mark of masculinity.

text: Cretan society is well known for notorious family and clan vendettas which persist on the island to date.[77][78] Cretans also have a tradition of keeping firearms at home, a tradition lasting from the era of resistance against the Ottoman Empire. Nearly every rural household on Crete has at least one unregistered gun.[77] Guns are subject to strict regulation from the Greek government, and in recent years a great deal of effort to control firearms in Crete has been undertaken by the Greek police, but with limited success.

text:
Dancers from Sfakia.

Old man from Crete dressed in the typical black shirt.

Dakos, traditional Cretan salad.

text: Sports[edit]

text: Crete has many football clubs playing in the local leagues. During the 2011–12 season, OFI Crete, which plays at Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium (Iraklion), and Ergotelis F.C., which plays at the Pankritio Stadium (Iraklion) were both members of the Greek Superleague. During the 2012–13 season, OFI Crete, which plays at Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium (Iraklion), and Platanias F.C., which plays at the Perivolia Municipal Stadium, near Chania, are both members of the Greek Superleague.

text: Notable people[edit]

text: Notable people from Crete include:

text:
Nikos Kazantzakis, author, born in Heraklion
Odysseas Elytis, poet, awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1979, born in Heraklion[79]
Vitsentzos Kornaros, Renaissance author from Sitia, who lived in Heraklion (then Candia)
Domenikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco), Renaissance artist, born in Heraklion
Nikos Xilouris, famous composer and singer.
Psarantonis, Cretan folk singer and Cretan lyra player and brother of Nikos Xilouris.
Nana Mouskouri, singer, born in Chania
Eleftherios Venizelos, former Greek Prime Minister, born in Chania Prefecture
Konstantinos Mitsotakis, nephew of Eleftherios Venizelos and Prime Minister of Greece.
Daskalogiannis, leader of the Orlov Revolt in Crete in 1770
Michalis Kourmoulis, leader of the Greek War of Independence from Messara.
Eleni Daniilidou, tennis player, born in Chania
Louis Tikas, Greek-American labor union leader
Nick Dandolos, a.k.a. Nick the Greek, professional gambler and high roller
Joseph Sifakis, a computer scientist, laureate of the 2007 Turing Award, born in Heraklion in 1946
Constantinos Daskalakis, Associate Professor at MIT's Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department.
George Karniadakis, Professor of Applied Mathematics at Brown University; also Research Scientist at MIT
John Aniston (Giannis Anastasakis), Greek-American actor, father of Jennifer Aniston
George Psychoundakis,  a shepherd, a war hero and an author.

text: The island had a Muslim community until 1923. They all left with the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey.

text:
Ahmed Resmî Efendi: 18th-century Ottoman statesman, diplomat and author (notably of two sefâretnâme). Turkey's first ever ambassador in Berlin[80] (during Frederick the Great's reign). He was born into a Muslim family of Greek descent in the Cretan town of Rethymno in the year 1700.[81][82][83][84]
Giritli Ali Aziz Efendi: Turkey's third ambassador in Berlin and arguably the first Turkish author to have written in novelistic form.
Al-Husayn I ibn Ali at-Turki – founder of the Husainid Dynasty, which ruled Tunisia until 1957.
Salacıoğlu (1750 Hanya – 1825 Kandiye): One of the most important 18th-century poets of Turkish folk literature.
Giritli Sırrı Pasha: Ottoman administrator, Leyla Saz's husband and a notable man of letters in his own right.
Vedat Tek: Representative figure of the First National Architecture Movement in Turkish architecture, son of Leyla Saz and Giritli Sırrı Pasha.
Paul Mulla (alias Mollazade Mehmed Ali): born Muslim, converted to Christianity and becoming a Roman Catholic bishop and author.
Tahmiscizade Mehmed Macid: Memorialst
Rahmizâde Bahaeddin Bediz: The first Turkish photographer by profession. The thousands of photographs he took, based as of 1895 successively in Crete, İzmir, İstanbul and Ankara (as Head of the Photography Department of Turkish Historical Society), have immense historical value.
Salih Zeki: Turkish photographer in Chania[85]
Ali Nayip Zade: Associate of Eleftherios Venizelos, Prefect of Drama and Kavala, Adrianople, and Lasithi.
Ismail Fazil Pasha: (1856–1921) descended from the rooted Cebecioğlu family of Söke who had settled in Crete.[86] He has been the first Minister of Public Works in the government of Grand National Assembly in 1920. He was the father of Ali Fuad and Mehmed Ali.
Mehmet Atıf Ateşdağlı: (1876–1947) Turkish officer.
Mustafa Ertuğrul Aker: (1892–1961) Turkish officer who sank HMS Ben-my-Chree.
Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, alias Halikarnas Balıkçısı (The Fisherman of Halicarnassus), writer, although born in Crete and has often let himself be cited as Cretan, descends from a family of Ottoman aristocracy with roots in Afyonkarahisar. His father had been an Ottoman High Commissioner in Crete and later ambassador in Athens. *Likewise, as stated above, Mustafa Naili Pasha was Albanian/Egyptian.[87]
Bülent Arınç (born. 25 May 1948) has been a Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey since 2009. He is of Cretan Muslim heritage with his ancestors arriving to Turkey as Cretan refugees during the time of Sultan Abdul Hamid II[88] and is fluent in Cretan Greek.[89] Arınç is a proponent of wanting to reconvert the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, which has caused diplomatic protestations from Greece.[90]