History of Crete

Little is known about the rise of ancient Cretan society, because very few written records remain. This contrasts with the superb palaces, houses, roads, paintings and sculptures that do remain.

Cretan history is surrounded by legends (such as those of 'Theseus and the Minotaur' as well as 'Daedalus and Icarus') that have been passed to us via Greek historian/poets (such as Homer).

Archaeologists working in Crete have uncovered magnificent stone-built, multi-story palaces, which are estimated as being pre- Mycenean. The palaces contained a drainage system, and the queen had a bath and a flushing toilet. The expertise displayed in the hydraulic engineering was of a very high level.

Because of a lack of written records, estimates of chronology were made by seeking Cretan artefacts traded with other civilisations (such as the Egyptians) - a well established occurrence. Based on this, it is thought that Crete was inhabited from between 4000 and 3000BC through to the fall of Knossos circa 1400 BC.

In World War II Crete provided the setting for the Battle of Crete (May 1941), wherein German invaders, especially paratroops, drove out a British Empire force commanded by General Sir Bernard Freyberg.



In the News

Controlling Red Imported Fire Ants Two Ways
Two separate strategies for reducing the spread of red imported fire ants (RIFA) are being combined by scientists as part of a strategy that could potentially add to the arsenal against this spreading pest.

New Radiation Technique Helps Brain Cancer Patients Keep Their Hair
Patients whose cancer has spread to the brain can avoid typical hair loss (alopecia) when treated with newer radiation techniques, thereby improving their quality of life while still controlling their cancer, according to a study presented October 16, 2005, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 47th Annual Meeting in Denver.

Mayo Clinic Reports Some Chronic Leukemia Patients May Improve By Taki
A new case study by Mayo Clinic researchers provides preliminary evidence to suggest a component of green tea may lead to clinical improvement in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Microprinting Technique For Patterning Single Molecules
A new process for creating patterns of individual molecules on a surface, known as "microcontact insertion printing,"combines control of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and a soft-lithography technique known as microcontact printing. The process, which can build surfaces that have molecules with specific functions inserted at known intervals, has potential applications ranging from analysis of biochemical mixtures to molecular-scale electronic components.

Warning Over Codeine Use After Tonsillectomy
A report warns the use of codeine to treat pain following a tonsillectomy could prove fatal for some children. A Canadian doctor zeroed in on the danger after investigating the death of a two-year-old boy following a relatively easy operation to remove his tonsils.

Tocilizumab Appears Safe And Effective In Treating Rheumatoid Arthriti
Phase III testing shows that a potential new therapy called tocilizumab is safe and effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research An estimated 2.1 million Americans have RA, most of them women.

[Ironic] An Italian pensioner committed suicide after his wife fell in
Recalling the end of Romeo and Juliet, the 70-year-old man, Ettore, who had sat by his wife's bedside for four months after she slipped into a coma following a heart attack, finally gave up hope and gassed himself in the garage of his family home.Less than a day later, his wife, Rossana, woke up in her hospital bed in Padua and immediately asked for him.

Hispano Music and Culture of the Northern Rio Grande: The Juan B. Rael
"A multi-format ethnographic field collection documenting religious and secular music of Spanish-speaking residents of rural Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado,"compiled by Juan Rael in 1940. Includes audio of alabados (hymns), folk drama, wedding songs, and dance tunes; and writings by Rael. Additionally, features essays (also available in Spanish) on Rael, the Nuevo Mexicanos of the Upper Rio Grande region, and Hispano Folk Theater in New Mexico. Searchable by bibliographic record and browsable by performer and audio title. From the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress.

Genomic 'Firestorms' Underlie Aggressive Breast Cancer Progression
The first high-resolution analysis of genomic alterations in breast tumors is reported in the scientific journal Genome Research. In this analysis, scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers from Scandinavia, identified three distinct patterns of genomic variation that underlie breast tumor formation, one of which -- "firestorms"-- may be predictive of aggressive disease progression and short survival.

United States of America: Excessive and Lethal Force?
This November 2004 report outlines "Amnesty International's concerns about deaths and ill-treatment involving police use of tasers."The report includes a discussion of the history of taser use, deployment, accounts of use in several U.S. cities and states, use in jails, health concerns, deaths caused by taser use, and more. Some portions also available in French and Spanish.




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