Starting from April 15th, as soon as you step into the Shenwu Gate exhibition hall of the Palace Museum, it is like stepping on the mysterious island of Crete in Greece - wandering in the special exhibition "Daedalus: Mythology of Crete", not only can you feel the mythological imprints deeply buried in ancient strata, but also through precious historical relics, you can understand the Minoan civilization as the source of ancient Greek civilization and interpret the genetic code engraved in the source of Western civilization. The legendary Daedalus of Crete lies at the southern end of the Aegean Sea, facing the Greek Peninsula, Aegean Islands, North Africa, and Asia Minor across the sea. It is a key gateway connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa. The unique geographical isolation and prehistoric civilization discontinuity have shrouded Crete in mystery and become a fertile ground for nurturing myths. In ancient Greek mythology, Crete was the homeland of Zeus, the king of the gods, and gave birth to various touching legends. Daedalus is a legendary figure in ancient Greek mythology, who embodies the identities of inventor, architect, skilled craftsman, sculptor, and innovative tool maker. In ancient Greek literature, many technological innovations of the Minoan civilization are attributed to this iconic craftsman. This reminds people of Luban in China. Chinese curator and exhibition director of the Palace Museum, Bo Haikun, stated that Daedalus is the core symbol of the Cretan mythological lineage, and the exhibition is named "Daedalus" to highlight the commonality of human civilization development - innovation is the driving force behind development. From the Homeric epics to Ovid's Metamorphoses, the myth of Daedalus has been passed down and refined for eight hundred years. The most famous of these is the story of Daedalus designing and building a maze to imprison the monster Minotaur. There is a bull head shaped green clay stone made about 3500 years ago in the exhibition hall, which suggests that the maze monster is not created out of nothing. This Laitong cup is carved from chlorite, with delicate depictions of hair on the cow's head and spiral shaped hair visible on the forehead. The term 'Laitong' originates from Greek and means' flow '. Many ancient civilizations used the Laitong cup as a sacrificial vessel, and its biggest feature is that the vessel has a liquid inlet and outlet. Like a funnel, liquid is injected from above and flows out from below. The water inlet of this cup is located at the back neck and left horn, and the water outlet is located at the cow's mouth. Laitong cup is usually conical in shape, but also has a beast head shape. Experts say that the beastly head shaped Laitong Cup is often given as a diplomatic gift by the rulers of Crete to other countries. The bull shaped Laitong cup unearthed successively in Greece and the Laitong cup image on the pharaoh tomb mural of the 18th Dynasty in Egypt indicate that this artifact played an important role in the interaction between Crete and other civilizations in the eastern Mediterranean. Greek and Roman writers used Crete as a narrative background to continuously improve the mythology of Daedalus. Nowadays, in Greek and Roman mythology, the creation of skilled craftsmen and artisans, the game between mortals and gods, the wonders of mazes and flight... once scattered legendary stories have been fused into a complete literary treasure system. And these praises of wisdom and courage, empowered by archaeologists, have been refined into the singing of history. Archaeology has found the source of mythology for thousands of years, but the lack of empirical evidence has made it difficult for people to judge the truth or falsehood of the story of Daedalus and the labyrinth. Mythology is ultimately mythology, and everything remains in a dreamlike fantasy. Until the end of the 19th century, British archaeologists such as Arthur Evans followed the guidance of mythology and landed on the island of Crete. The shocking excavation of the Knossos Palace site not only confirms the glory of the Minoan culture in the Bronze Age, but also echoes the historical truth of the legend of Daedalus building mazes - the scattered and layered palace rooms and complex and magnificent murals are precisely the most powerful physical evidence of the original existence of the "maze" thousands of years ago. The Shenwu Gate exhibition hall "reproduces" the famous Knossos Palace ruins, creating an immersive exhibition atmosphere. Viewers can follow the footsteps of 'Daedalus', from legendary mythological stories to the real world of archaeology, fully experiencing the beauty of Minoan architecture, murals, texts, bronze, painted pottery, gold jewelry, stone tools, seals, and sculpture art. Although people cannot know the earliest starting point of the legend of Daedalus, they can glimpse traces from the ancient relics of Crete. On a linear writing tablet dating back 3300 years, the name of the Daedalus Temple is prominently written, indicating that at that time, the Daedalus myth had already taken shape and the story content was likely derived from real life. There is a set of female pottery figurines made over 3300 years ago in the display cabinet. Three dancers raise their arms horizontally and form a semicircle, with a performer holding a seven stringed instrument at the center of the circle. They were dressed in floor length skirts, wide waistbands, and tight fitting tops. The brown paintings not only outlined the deep V-neckline, dress patterns, and folds, but also traced two necklaces around the performer's neck. The female figurine's hair is coiled into a circle and tied up in a high bun. This group of dance figurines was discovered at the site of the Knossos Palace, and the dance activities performed in this specific space are reminiscent of the "Ariadne's Dance Hall" mentioned in Homer's epic. This dance hall was a masterpiece built by Daedalus for Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos. From the dance movements of the terracotta figurines, people seem to feel the hustle and bustle of the royal courtyard. Many typical "imperial" items have been unearthed from the site of the Knossos Palace, such as this marine creature patterned pottery vase. The bottle is decorated with huge octopus patterns on both sides, depicted in a frontal posture, with rolling tentacles covering the entire surface of the bottle. The tentacles are dotted with sea urchins, conches, and small rocks with seaweed. According to Greek experts, this ocean style pottery is often elegantly designed, with decorative themes that perfectly match and highlight the form of the object. And the most exquisite pottery is likely to come from palace workshops. For journalists, the Eastern echoes of the Bronze Age were a rather unique exhibition experience - looking at the Greek artifacts in the display cabinet, Chinese artifacts constantly flashed through their minds. Also about 3500 years ago, the ancient Greeks carved linear characters on clay plates, while the Chinese carved oracle bone inscriptions on tortoise shells and cow bones; The vortex pattern representing water waves on the Kamares style spout storage pottery jar made by the Greeks about 3800 years ago is similar to the typical vortex pattern of Chinese Majiayao painted pottery; There are also white flowers painted on eggshell pottery cups from about 3700 years ago, reminiscent of the eggshell black pottery cups of Longshan culture and the "flower" shaped patterns of Miaodigou culture. There are also bronze and jade artifacts... In prehistoric times, there seemed to be no cultural exchange between China and Greece, but why can we always see the shadow of "Chinese culture" from the Minoan culture? This wonderful feeling was finally explained in the final part of the exhibition. The "Sea and Moon Shine Together" chapter at the end of the exhibition showcases 13 important cultural relics from the late Neolithic period to the Shang and Zhou dynasties in the collection of the Palace Museum, engaging in a dialogue across time and space with artifacts from the Bronze Age in Crete. For example, beneath the Minos colored pottery, there is a Majiayao cultural colored pottery jar placed. Experts say that painted pottery has independent cultural foundations in China and Greece, presenting both commonalities and differences in artistic style. The two reflect the abstract expression and intuitive depiction of natural landscapes by agricultural civilization and maritime civilization, respectively. The jade cong of the Liangzhu culture and the jade three tooth bi of the Qijia culture in China are both ritual vessels, while the jade vessels of the Minoan culture emphasize practical value and are often used to make cups, bird's nest shaped bowls, etc., integrating natural materials into daily life and reflecting the different sides of divine power and secularism in the two civilizations. When the first ray of bronze civilization illuminated both the Aegean Sea and the land of China, Minoan craftsmen and Chinese ancestors used copper tin alloy as a medium to cast the flower of civilization with a different style but equally brilliant in the geographical time and space separated by the two. The bronze swords and spears of the Shang Dynasty, as well as the double-edged axes and spears of the Minoan civilization, were originally practical items, either as weapons or tools, due to their attributes of conquest and military prestige. Later, they gradually evolved into ceremonial vessels symbolizing royal or divine power. Bronze ritual vessels reached their peak during the Shang and Zhou dynasties in China, and their production techniques are still awe inspiring to modern people. From the interview, the reporter learned that the codes hidden deep in these Chinese and Greek cultural relics are neither empirical evidence of cultural dissemination nor footnotes of technological homology, but rather spiritual resonance generated by human civilization in similar cognitive stages. This comparison showcases the diversity and commonality of early human civilization on the same stage. The agricultural civilization nurtured by the Yellow River and Yangtze River, and the marine civilization nurtured by the Aegean Sea, are like a duet in a music hall. Although they follow different paths of civilization, they jointly compose a magnificent chapter of early human civilization in the journey of respecting nature, exploring skills, and constructing order. Perhaps this is the underlying logic behind the Palace Museum holding this foreign cultural relic exhibition on the occasion of its centenary. (New Society)