Arriving in Crete just as a storm hits, the historian is lucky to reach "the big island" before the seas become impassable, and the annual Christian Epiphany festivities are hampered. Bettany Hughes travels to the ruins of the ancient city of Knossos, synonymous with English archaeologist Arthur Evans who unearthed much of its palace over 100 years ago, beneath which the legendary King Minos is said to have kept a crazed half-man, half-bull - the Minotaur. Bettany meets Professor Stampolidis, whose ground-breaking archaeological discoveries prove links between ancient legend and historical reality.
Crete is the home of legendary heroes and villains, powerful ancient civilizations, and macabre history. Follow Bettany to Chania, Knossos, and Eleutherna, where she explores a replica boat built from the age of Odysseus and recounts the stories of the Minotaur and Achilles. Then discover a more recent, dramatic chapter in Crete's history as we investigate Germany's occupation of the island in World War II and meet a 95-year-old who narrowly escaped a Nazi firing squad as a teenager.
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