Mount Ida ( el, Ἴδα), known variously as Idha, Ídhi, Idi, and Ita (the massif including the mountain is called Psiloritis, el, Ψηλορείτης), is the highest

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

on the island of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cypru ...

, with an elevation of . It has the highest

topographic prominence In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest cont ...

of any mountain in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

. A natural park which includes Mount Ida is a member of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

's Global Geoparks Network. Located in the

Rethymno regional unit Rethymno () is one of the four regional units of Crete, Greece. Its capital is the city of Rethymno. Today its main income is tourism. The countryside is also based economically on agriculture and herding. Administration The regional unit Rethy ...

, Ida was sacred to the Titaness Rhea in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of ...

. On its slopes lies one of the caves, ''Idaion Antron'', the Idaean Cave, in which, according to legend, the god

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, ...

was born. Other legends, however, place his birthplace in Psychro Cave on the Lasithi Plateau. An archaeobotanical study was conducted that looks at the different plant bases in Minoan villas during the Neo-palatial time period in Crete. There was a rich range of food plants that were found to contain essential nutrients like carbohydrates, protein and vitamin sources. The study took place on Mount Ida, at the Minoan villa of Zominthos.

Features

The Psiloritis is located on the

water divide A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a single ...

between the southern part of Crete, which drains to the Libyan Sea, and the northern basin facing the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans an ...

. A saddle at 2,321 m East of the summit connects it with Mount Agathias, while westwards the ridge continues with Mount Stolistra (2,336 m) The Skinakas Observatory of the University of Crete is located on the secondary peak Skinakas at 1750 m. It has two telescopes including a 1.3 m Modified Ritchey-Chrétien instrument. The Nida plateau is found to the east of the mountain. On the plateau are some shepherd's huts ('' mitata'') built only of local stones, and used both for shelter and for cheesemaking. On the northeast of the mountain, beneath Skinakas Peak, the site of the observatory, is Vromonero Plateau, the site of a holly and maple grove, with many endemic and endangered species. It, along with the access road through Halasia Gorge, and the starting point at Krousonas, has been defined as a

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

protected area, Krousonas - Vromonero Idis, ID GR4310009. Zominthos is a plateau that is located in the northern foothills of Mount Ida. On the plateau is the highest altitude Minoan villa ever found, the Minoan villa of Zominthos. The Kamares Cave is an Ancient Greek sanctuary located on Mount Ida. During the excavation of the cave, numerous pieces of pottery, like vases, were found in the cave. Based on the condition and pattern of the vases, it is known that the pieces of pottery were crafted by peasants at the time. Typically, Cretan pottery is known to have a polychrome ornament, and a black base. The Kamares Cave was not fully excavated however until 1913. The findings gave real insight into Ancient Greek life in relation to Mount Ida.

Mythology

Dactyls

Ida is the locus for a race of legendary ancient metal workers, the Dactyls.

Idaean Cave

In ancient times the Idaean cave, "cave of the Goddess" (''Dea'') was venerated by Minoans and Hellenes alike. By Greek times the cave was rededicated to

. The cave where Zeus was nurtured is variously stated to be this cave, or another of the same name, or the Dictaean cave. Votive seals and ivories have been found in the cave. Like the Dictaean cave, the Idaean cave was known as a place of initiations. It may have served as the site of an

oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The wor ...

, symbolized by the frequent depiction of a

tripod A tripod is a portable three-legged frame or stand, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The three-legged (triangular stance) design provides good stability against gravitational loads ...

on coins of nearby Axos, which presumably controlled the territory around the cave.Ustinova, noting Capdeville 1990, and, critically, Prent 2005:568.

Gallery

File:Idian-Cave-20070814-059834.jpg, Mouth of the Idaean Cave File:Psiloritis, east ridge.jpg, East ridge of summit Ida. File:Nida Plateau - Mitata.jpg, Shepherd's hut ('' mitato'') on Nida Plateau, eastern side of Mt Ida File:Skinakas observatory.JPG, Skinakas Observatory File:ΙΔΗ ΑΝΩΓΕΙΑ 1.jpg, Near Anogeia

References

External links

Greek Mountain Flora
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ida Mount Two-thousanders of Greece Mountains of Crete Landforms of Rethymno (regional unit) Landforms of Heraklion (regional unit) Geography of ancient Crete Natura 2000 in Greece Sacred mountains Rhea (mythology) Zeus