Unbelievable saga of "Ring of King Minos" ends with authentication

A saga spanning generations, involving a poverty-stricken family, a cunning priest, and an unsuspecting archaeologist, has finally culminated with the authentication of the legendary "Ring of King Minos." This invaluable gold Minoan artifact, lost and replicated for decades, is now proudly displayed at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.

The story began in 1928 when young Michalis Papadakis discovered a ring at the ancient site of Knossos, Caliber.Az reports, citing Greek Reporter.

His farmer father, Emmanouil, inexplicably hid it, later giving it to Father Nikolaos Polakis, but not before marking it with a knife. Polakis attempted to sell the ring to English archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, but his exorbitant price demands thwarted the sale.

In the early 1930s, Polakis presented the ring to the Heraklion Museum. While archaeologist Nikolaos Platon believed it genuine, Spyridon Marinatos dismissed it as a fake. Unable to agree, they returned the ring to the priest, though Platon kept a plasticine cast. Years later, Polakis claimed his wife had lost the ring.

Unbeknownst to many, Polakis had a final deception. In his dying days, he confessed to selling the ring to Evans in 1938 for 100,000 drachmas. However, what Evans purchased and subsequently donated to the Ashmolean Museum in England were meticulously crafted replicas, not the original. For decades, these replicas were all that remained of the fabled ring.

The true ring's fate remained a mystery until the early 2000s. Retired police officer Giorgos Kazantzis, inheriting the priest's former home, discovered a hidden jar containing the genuine artifact, complete with Papadakis's original scratch. Kazantzis promptly turned over the ring to the state. In 2002, the Central Archaeological Council confirmed its authenticity, valuing it at 400,000 euros, though its cultural significance is immeasurable. Despite his integrity, Kazantzis received a modest finder's fee of just 440 euros.

The "Ring of King Minos," a symbol of Minoan power and myth, now stands as a testament to its dramatic journey through time and deception.

By Naila Huseynova