Elements of Greek astronomy and religion in Minoan Crete

Archaeoastronomical investigations of important Minoan monuments show orientations at two peak sanctuaries to the heliacal rising and setting, and the acronychal rising and cosmical setting of Arcturus ca. 1830; all dates are B. C. E. unless otherwise stated. The heliacal rising occurred one lunar month before the autumn equinox and this event relative to the phases of the moon would have made it possible to regulate a lunisolar calendar like that of the later Mycenaeans and Greeks. In addition the summer solstice and the equinoxes are clearly marked on one of the peaks by alignments to sunrise and sunset behind distant foresights. The corridor in the Central Sanctuary Area of the palace at Knossos was oriented towards sunrise at the equinoxes and a device was arranged such that the exact day of the equinoxes and also the eleventh day preceding the spring and following the autumn equinox were clearly shown. The result was a simple method for keeping an accurate lunisolar calendar. A similarly placed corridor in the palace at Zakros was oriented towards the moon at its southernmost risings in the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000-1600) This and the recovery of many figurines with moon-like head-dress from the nearby peak sanctuaries together with the orientation of the chamber graves in the cemetery at Armenoi within the major standstills indicate a religious role for the moon in Minoan Crete, perhaps a forerunner of the Greek goddess Artemis. Our findings indicate a long tradition of astronomical observations on the part of the Minoans and some transmission of their accumulated knowledge to the later Mycenaeans and Greeks. The implications of these findings for the history of Greek astronomy and religion are discussed.