Who Were the Minoans? Minoan Civilization Explained The Minoans were a Bronze Age people who lived on Crete and nearby islands, best known for the great palace at Knossos. Flourishing from around 1900 BC, they are widely called Europe’s first advanced civilization, notable for grand palaces, vivid frescoes, wide-ranging sea trade, a bull-centered religion and … Read more
Throne Room of Knossos: Europe's Oldest Throne & Griffins The Throne Room at Knossos is a small chamber off the Central Court holding a carved gypsum seat often called the “throne of Minos” — widely described as the oldest throne in Europe, around 3,500 years old. It is flanked by replica griffin frescoes and faces … Read more
The Queen's Megaron of Knossos: Dolphins & Flushing Toilet The Queen’s Megaron is the set of private apartments in the residential East Wing of Knossos, named by Sir Arthur Evans for their decoration and comfort. It is famous for the Dolphin fresco (a replica on site), for its light-wells, and for an adjoining bathroom with … Read more
The Charging Bull Fresco & North Entrance at Knossos The North Entrance is the dramatic ramped passage that led into the Palace of Knossos from the harbor side, and above it sits the restored Charging Bull relief fresco — a raised, sculpted painting of a bull in mid-charge. The version on site is a replica; … Read more
The Minotaur Myth & the Labyrinth of Knossos Explained The Minotaur was a bull-headed man kept in a maze called the Labyrinth, built for King Minos of Knossos. The Athenian hero Theseus killed it and escaped using a thread given by Minos’s daughter Ariadne. The legend likely grew from the real palace: a sprawling, multi-story … Read more
Minoan Frescoes of Knossos: Originals vs Reproductions The colorful Minoan frescoes you see across the Palace of Knossos are all reproductions. The surviving originals are displayed a few kilometers away in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. The famous paintings — the Bull-Leaping (Taureador) scene, the Prince of the Lilies, the Dolphins, the Throne Room griffins and … Read more
Knossos History Timeline: From the Neolithic to Today Knossos began as a Neolithic settlement before 7000 BC. The first Minoan palace rose around 1900 BC, was destroyed and rebuilt, and reached its peak before declining around 1450–1350 BC, after which Mycenaean Greeks controlled it. The site was later abandoned, rediscovered in 1878, and famously excavated … Read more
The Grand Staircase of Knossos: Minoan Multi-Story Design The Grand Staircase is the monumental stairway of the residential East Wing at Knossos, built around an open light-well to carry daylight and air down through several floors. It is famous for its red, downward-tapering Minoan columns and for showing that the palace rose multiple stories. Much … Read more
The Central Court at Knossos: Heart of the Minoan Palace The Central Court is the large rectangular paved space at the very center of the Palace of Knossos, measuring roughly 50 by 25 meters. Every wing of the palace opens onto it, which made it the ceremonial and organizational heart of the complex. Many scholars … Read more
Sir Arthur Evans & the Knossos Reconstruction Debate Sir Arthur Evans, a British archaeologist, excavated Knossos from 1900 and rebuilt large parts in reinforced concrete — his “reconstitutions” — complete with restored frescoes painted by the Gilliéron artists. Critics argue he imposed his own vision and invented details; defenders say the concrete protects fragile ruins … Read more
