Ideon Andro, the cave famous from Greek Mythology as the place
where Rea hid her son Zeus from his father Cronos, who wanted to
eliminate his descendent, lies west, at an altitude of
1,538 m. According to another
version, this is considered the
birthplace of Zeus.Here, the nymphs Adrasteia and Idefed the baby
god on wild honey and
milk from the goat Amaltheia. The Kourites bad spirit s also contributed
to
the rescue and nursing of Zeus,
covering his cries by banging their
shields. The cave is composed of three chambers, and the inner
sanctum was used by the faithful for initiations to
fun ceremonies. The firstexcavation in 1885 uncovered shieldsfrom
the 7th and 8th century, used in
ceremonies dedicated to Zeus. Weapons, tools, figurines, offerings
and statuettes were also found, and
are currently exhibited in theArchaeological Museum of Heraklion.
