A whirlwind of vivid imagery. Relatable, well-rounded characters that feel like close friends. Mysterious but not to the point of utter confusion. Minoan magic seamlessly woven throughout the pages. Like the story itself, the striking artwork for every chapter (by Lydia Hall) merges ancient times with the modern day through its Minoan-fresco-inspired art depicting contemporary scenes.
Flower Gatherers is an anthophile’s (and Minoan enthusiast’s) dream book, quite frankly. Those who have been reading my articles throughout the years know how much I love flowers (specifically the flora of Crete like the saffron crocus). Each chapter title even features the scientific name of a flower or plant! Let’s just say I got very excited when Pancratium maritimum was mentioned, which is the sea daffodil/lily (also called the “lily of Knossos”) that has inspired some of my Minoan poetry like this one.
Every night before bed as I read this, only a dim book light illuminating the room, I felt like I was teleported. I’ve set foot in modern Crete plenty of times and have seen the ancients sites up close and personal. Reading this book felt like the next best thing due to Lorna’s exquisitely immersive writing style with the most uncanny details. Fiction books inspired by Minoan civilization are hard to come by, and I’m beyond grateful I stumbled upon this while looking through the Minoan tag on WordPress.
If I had to give it a star rating, I wouldn’t. Instead, I’d give it 5 rodakes (ρόδακες: rosettes)!
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A photo of sea daffodils by Zeynel Cebeci
𓆸The Premise
by Lydia Hall
To give you a quick gist without giving too much away: In modern-day England, a passionate researcher (who happens to also be an anthophile and a bit of a hermit like yours truly) discovers perplexing engravings that change the understanding of Minoan civilization as we know it. Then, miles and millennia way, there’s a young girl on the island of Crete. She is passionate too (about flowers especially, but in a different way) and makes a pivotal decision that shapes her life in ways she couldn’t possibly anticipate. This compelling book contains two distinct yet seamlessly intertwined stories, and that’s what sets it apart. Magical realism at its finest!
𓆸Author Bio
Lorna studied Classics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University; after a chance encounter with a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel in her finals year, she became curious about the similarities between it and Ovid, and eventually received a doctorate from University College London on ‘Magical Realism in Ovid’s Metamorphoses’ in 2005.
She created The Iris Project and Iris magazine to promote Classics in state schools in 2006, and runs Latin and Greek projects in state schools across the UK. She has also worked with UCL Bloomsbury Theatre and The Scoop on ancient drama projects, and she set up ‘Latin in the Parks’ for adults to have a go at picking up Latin. She created and runs the East Oxford Community Classics Centre, which opened in October 2013, and the Rumble Museum, the first museum in a state school. It was awarded Arts Council Accreditation in March 2020.
She has written a book “Ovid and Gabriel Garcia Marquez”, and has also written the Latin course Telling Tales in Latin and part two, Distant Lands, which introduces Latin through the stories of Ovid. She has also written Telling Tales in Greek, introducing ancient Greek through the stories of Homer. Her latest book, Telling Tales in Nature: Underworld Tales, explores plants and the myths around them through new voices and perspectives.
She lives in Barton, Oxford, with her husband and teenage daughter, and enjoys nature, reading, music, spending time with her ‘urban family’ of friends, and imagining the future!
Κουβαλάνε το καύσωνα μαζί τους τα γεράκια. Μας ξανοίγουν απο ψηλά στα βουνά τα αγρίμια.
Αλλά η ισχυρή Θεά τα πάντα επιβλέπει. Είτε παιδί, είτε λουλούδι, όλα τα προστατεύει.
Transliteration
Kouvaláne to káfsona mazí tous ta gerákia Mas xanoígoun apo psilá sta vouná ta agrímia.
Allá i ischyrí Theá ta pánta epivlépei. Eíte paidí, eíte louloúdi, óla ta prostatévei.
English Version
Falcons¹ bring the heatwaves along with them. Kri-kri goats² observe us from the mountain.
But our fierce Goddess looks over everything. She protects it all, flower³ or offspring.
taken in Rethmyno Regional District, Crete via Wikimedia Commons
Footnotes
Eleonora’s falcons are migratory and arrive in Crete around this time to breed on the coastal cliffs and offshore islets of Crete. As an indigenous Mediterranean raptor, the species has nested along the Aegean for thousands of years.
Crete’s famous endemic wild goat. June is a very active time for them.
Some of the main flowers on the island around this time are oleander and rockrose.
The vernal equinox is upon us (in the Northern Hemisphere)! Where I am, I’ve spotted some buds here and there and a few crocuses, but spring is (and was) in full swing on the island of Crete by now. While climate change (way back then AND in recent times) has made springs and the rest of the seasons more turbulent in some ways on average, both ancient and modern Crete have had similar weather overall. Surprisingly, Minoan times saw higher temperatures!
Ultimately, though, Crete’s rugged terrain and harsher climate to match, from strong winds (Meltemi) to Saharan dust storms (which are currently underway, turning the skies a deep red-orange), has made it no stranger to erratic weather since ancient times.
Photo Credit: Jerzy Strzelecki via Wikimedia Commons
How Ancient Crete’s Weather Is Determined
First thing’s first: how is the weather I’m about to discuss even determined? Written weather logs only go back so far, after all. So, it’s up to scientists (namely paleoclimatologists) to figure that out via the analysis of natural recorders of climate. Also referred to as proxies, they preserve data in layers (i.e. sediments, stalagmites, and organic remains). In combining these environmental archives with archaeological findings, researchers are better able to reconstruct past temperatures, precipitation, and notable weather events.
Stalagmites and Stalactites
Stalagmites (upward-growing mounds of mineral deposits) and stalactites (downward-growing mounds) in Cretan caves grow in thin layers determined by water dripping from the ceiling. By analyzing the oxygen isotopes (atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons) in these layers, scientists can determine periods of heavy rainfall versus droughts over the span of thousands of years.
Sea and Lake Samples
From the bottom of the sea and lakes, scientists have taken long core samples, where pollen, microorganisms, and volcanic ash have accumulated. Changes in types of pollen denote shifts in vegetation caused by climate, while microscopic plankton shells shed light on past sea-surface temperatures.
Marine mollusk shells and fossilized teeth found in archaeological sites are also analyzed for oxygen isotopes. The ratio of heavy to light isotopes in the structure of these shells (calcium carbonate) correlates to the water and air temperature at the time in which they grew.
Pollen Samples
By sampling pollen trapped in soil during archaeological digs, researchers can identify what plants grew in specific areas of the island. Since certain plants flourish only in certain temperatures and moisture levels, this helps identify whether the climate was arid or temperate.
Sediment
Back in 2006, geologists discovered an extensive sediment layer from the Minoan eruption of Santorini (Thera). The mollusks, volcanic ash, skeletal remains, etc. within this layer offer a bit of a “sneak-peek” of the environment and weather at that exact moment.
Dendrochronology
Tree ring data in the Mediterranean is able to provide information on yearly climate conditions (i.e. wider rings for wet years, narrower for dry ones). Thankfully, there are plenty of trees to go off of as many are thousands of years old, including the Olive Tree of Vouves in Chania, Crete.
Modern Crete’s Spring Weather
The present is informed by the past, so I wanted to dive into the island’s weather in modern times. Spring lasts for a solid three months. While May is consistently warm, June marks the true beginning of the hot, dry season (summer).
The approaching warm westerly winds ensure a springtime that is mild and pleasant overall. Average daytime temperatures range from 11⁰C to 23⁰C (52⁰F to 74⁰F). The sea still remains relatively cool (around 15⁰C/59⁰F), so evenings tend to range from 9⁰C to 15⁰C (48⁰F to 59⁰F).
Cloud cover is still abundant throughout the month of March, but the skies start to clear up more as the season progresses. Even still, Crete is known as the sunniest island in Greece and one of the sunniest places in all of Europe, boasting over 300 days of annual sunshine.
While the wet season is primarily from November until the first half of March, there’s still intermittent light rain on occasion, but then it begins to taper off in April. The dry season is starting to get longer and longer in modern times, which unfortunately leads to more wildfires.
Ancient Crete’s Spring Weather
Based on the findings above, scientists can ascertain that the peak of Minoan civilization was about 4°C hotter than in modern times. To further confirm this, research indicates that El Niño events in the past caused warmer, drier conditions as well. Unfortunately, this is connected (in part) to the gradual end of Minoan civilization. Needless to say, long bouts of intense droughts had a devastating impact on agriculture.
The Fauna and Flora of Minoan Spring
By the time the warm season came around, the landscape was bursting with the vibrant colors of wildflowers, including saffron crocuses, lilies, poppies, anemones (Anemone coronaria) and tulips (Tulipa saxatilis).
Crete’s biome consists of Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and shrublands, which would start getting much greener after all the precipitation that winter brought (when it wasn’t El Niño).
Snow on Crete’s highest mountaintops (White Mountains, Psiloritis, Dikti) generally started melting around this time (April), but significant snow cover often lasted until the end of spring.
Spring isn’t much of a spring at all without the arrival of birds and their songs. To this day, swallows are the main birds that mark spring’s beginning as well as doves. But they weren’t the only one’s singing; there were also cicadas (tzitzikia) that emerged as nymphs in later in the season.
Minoan Life During Springtime
As the Mediterranean settled and warmed up, it’s no surprise that an island and thus sea-based culture would consider spring the beginning of sailing season. No longer hindered by the chaos of winter, the Minoans started to trade and fish again, ensuring their economy remained robust. Nautical pursuits aside, it was also a period for agricultural labor, religious celebrations, sun-aligned rites, and preparation for the hot summer ahead. Some of these preparations included tending to the fields before it got too dry. Go here to read a more poetic take of Minoan spring.
Photo Credit: Mary Roberto Strauss via Wikimedia Commons
Minoan Mystic 