There was a great mass of votive offerings of all sorts--engraved
gems, bronze statuettes (including a Twenty-second-Dynasty figure
of the Egyptian god Amen-Ra), and an abundance of common rings,
pins, brooches, and knives; but the chief feature of the find was
the Double Axe, of which numerous specimens were found embedded in
the stalagmites around the dark pool at the foot of the cavern,
some of them still retaining their original shafts. It is evident
that the cave on Dicte was the seat of a very ancient worship,
connected with that worship whose emblems were the Double Axe Pillars
in the Palace of Knossos, and that this worship, as revealed by the
character of the remains in the grotto, goes back to the early
days of the Minoan civilization.
Throughout all these explorations, covering a considerable portion
of the island, one common feature presents itself--a feature already
noted and commented on in connection with Knossos. Nowhere have we
met with anything in the remotest degree resembling the colossal
citadel walls which are the most striking feature of Mycenae and
Tiryns. Phaestos and Hagia Triada are as devoid of fortification as
Knossos. Gournia and Palaikastro are open towns. Everything points
to the existence of a strong and peaceful rule, allowing the natural
bent of the island race to develop quietly and steadily during long
periods in those lines of work, alike useful and artistic, whose
remains excite our admiration to-day, and resting for generation
after generation on the sea-power which kept all enemies far from
the shores of the fortunate island and guarded the trade-routes
of the AEgean.
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