El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-01-15

Of griffins, lions and other animals OF
the same precious metal. ana more
than zoo ornaments intended TO be
sewn upon garments. Many DeaullIuI
necklaces. stOmachers, bracelets, rings
and pins were elsewhere discovered
Houses Like Those OF Today.
The cities OF ancient Crele had
streets only five feet wide, with no
sidewalks But the houses were sur
prisinglv like modern dwellings. Of
sundried brick usually, with lower
walls of stone. Interiors were 1lhlSned
with smooth plaster, and the windows
Judging from fresco picturesl mad, IN
place OF glass. some req Inateriai,
which may have been OILED ana unteu
parchment The kitchens we're fur
uished with many kinds OF utensils
much resembling those in use today.
The palaces Of royalty were like
small towns under one roof in which
d1-elt great numbers of people en-
gagged in the service OF the klnS- Most
remarkable of these was the vast regal
dwelling at knossos. Which antigua
rims believe to have been the Eer1taDle
DsIace of Minos-its maze OF apart
ments constituting the labyrinth Gel
ebrated in fable. on its ruined walls
are to be seen today many paintings
of bulls and representations of bull
Hull Fighting FavOrite Sport.
BuIIfighting. indeed. was the favor
tie outdoor sport of the ancient Gre
fans: and for this purpose were en-
ployed slaves captured IN war raids
Not only young men, but (as shown by
the frescoes) young women also were
used in such gladiatorial games, the
most conspicuous feature Of which was
graphing kind of exercise in
which the performer caught the en-
"a ged animals by the horns and turned
= sSoToerssii1f over his back. Now that
these facts are disclosed, IL is easy to
account for the, story of the Minotaur
Cor Bull of Minos). which demanded
regular tribute of youths and maidens
TO crafty its Unsuitable appetite
The royal apartments in the palace
Of the Minos had walls of bronze. with
friezes of blue glass paste. and lintels
and doorposts Of silver There was A
system of latrines and other sanitary
contrfvances ''staggeringly modern"
Water was carried by terra Gotta pipes.
and the sewers were Dig enough for
man to walk through
The furniture included carved bed
steads chairs and footstools, with an
astonishing amount OF ivory, amber and
gold. silver and bronze were in common
use. But most Interesting OF all, per-
haps, is the little bathroom attached to
the queens 'boudOir," in which was
FreseOes still Brilliant
The frescoes are today almost as
brilliant as when their colors were
artists who had no mean skill Archae-
ologists declare that only the wonder
full tomb paintings OF ancient Egypt
can excel these vivid pictures of by
gone and vanished civilization civ
ilization in which barbaric cruelty
mingled with exquisite taste and a de-
light in all forms of beauty
At length. however. perhaps because
OF too much luxurious living. the Gre
tan dominion waned- The sea power
on which il wholly relied, began to
fail. The great MinCan fleet of war
galleys met defeat utter and crushing
in a final engagement. and the foe /
was it Greek or Egyptian2-landed |
forces which overran the island. cap
turning the towns and sacking and !
burning its palaces so rich in loot
Great Palaee DESTROYED.
The palace of Minos, at Knosscs. was 1
sacked and burned about the year
1900 3. c In its cellars were enor- |
nous stores OF olive oil, in earthen |
jars twice the height OF a man (some !
OF which have been found intact, and |
this active combustible doubtless ac- !
CELEBRATED the destruction of the vast I
group OF buildings Left quite intact. I
as an interesting memorial, is a series 1
of stone-lined pits 25 feet deep. which 1
are supposed to have been employed in ]
lieu Of dungeons for captives-possibly I
the unfOrtunates designated for service |
in the bull graphing games.
Afterwards, a remnant OF the Cretans /
settled on the maritime plain Of Pal |
estine. forming a league OF five towns. |
and for a long time fiereely held their ,
own against the Hebrews, to whom i
they were known as the Philistines-