Mount Ida (), known variously as Idha, Ídhi, Idi, and Ita (the massif including the mountain is called Psiloritis, ), 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 ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

, with an elevation of . It has the highest

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

of any mountain in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

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

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

's Global Geoparks Network. Located in the Rethymno regional unit, Ida was sacred to the Titaness Rhea in

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

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

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

was born. Other legends, however, place his birthplace in Psychro Cave on the Lasithi Plateau. An archaeobotanical study was conducted that looked 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 such as carbohydrates, protein and sources of vitamins. The study took place on Mount Ida, at the Minoan villa of Zominthos.

Features

The Psiloritis is located on the water divide between the southern part of Crete, which drains to the Libyan Sea, and the northern basin facing the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

. 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 of 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 protected areaKrousonas – Vromonero Idis, ID GR4310009
Natura 2000 Viewer
/ref> 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. Kamares cave was used as a cave sanctuary in ancient times. The Minoan pottery known as Kamares ware was named after the cave, where some of the first examples were found.

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, 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 thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

, 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.

The Old Man of Crete

In ''Inferno'' XIV,

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

visualizes an old man within Mt. Ida. His head was of gold, his arms and breast of silver, his lower abdomen brass, and below that he was of iron except that his right foot was of clay, upon which all his weight bore. This symbolized the decay of the world, and his tears formed the rivers of Hell.The Symbolic Figure of the Course of Human History Described by Virgil. 1824-27
/ref>

Gallery

File:Idian-Cave-20070814-059834.jpg, Mouth of the Idaean Cave File:Psiloritis, east ridge.jpg, Eastern ridge of the summit of Mount 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

Notes

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 Ida Rhea (mythology) Zeus