Herodotos:Welcome to Knossos, traveler, where the Minotaur once prowled.
("Who are you?")
Herodotos:My name is Herodotos, and I am a traveler from Halikarnassos. I retrace the various events, such as wars and great calamities. I describe what I see and record what I am told — all with the aim of providing a better understanding of why these things occur. Look for me to introduce you to many sites.
("What do you think of this place?")
Herodotos:Some say if you listen closely, you can still hear echoes of the Minotaur's ferocious bellowing. Of course, it may only be a trick of the wind. Perhaps.
("Let's begin the tour.")
Herodotos:Knossos was the seat of the old Minoan civilization, where King Minos once supposedly ruled. These ruins have been the backdrop for many important events in both history and mythology. LOok for me when your visit is over, and we'll discuss what you've seen.
Knossos palace facade, painting by Balage Balogh / Contemporary
The island of Krete was first settled around 8000 BCE.
Over time, significant towns and maritime trade began to develop.
Palaces were built, destroyed, and then rebuilt, culminating in what archaeologists call the Neopalatial period, which began around 1700 BCE.
This period lasted for over three hundred years, and is considered the golden age of the Minoan civilization.
The largest palace of this period was located in Knossos—and featured mazelike complexes of workshops, temples, courts, throne rooms, and living areas, as well as paved roads and advancing plumbing and draining.
Trade and external relations were important to the Minoans, and their networks extended across the eastern Mediterranean.
As a result, the people of Krete and the lands they traded with often influenced each other and exchanged ideas, usually through peaceful interactions instead of military conflict.
Learn more:
Arthur John Evans was an archaeologist known for his excavations at Knossos from 1900–1931. He was so dedicated to his work at the site he missed his father's funeral to preside over the excavation of Minos' palace.
Arthur Evans named the Minoan civilization after King Minos, but it is unknown what the Minoans called themselves.
Part of thw Knossos palace / Contemporary
The settlement of Knossos was established as early as the 7th millennium BCE.
Today, one of the sites most notable landmarks in the palace ruins located on the Kephala hill.
The ruins are split into two phases, the Old Palace, which has been poorly preserved, and the New Palace.
The New Palace of Knossos had a surface area of approximately 13,000 square meters. Making it the largest Minoan palace.
Its focal point was a central court which was probably used for ceremonial activities.
The Minoan palace centers collapsed when Krete was overrun and conquered by a Mycenaean invasion from mainland Greece.
However, the date of the final destruction of Knossos' palace is still unknown.
Learn more:
Arthur John Evans oversaw many architectural reconstructions at Knossos, with somewhat mixed results.
In the negative side, Evans' restoration at Knossos, with somewhat mixed results.
On the negative side, Evans' restoration of the Throne Room prioritized how it supposedly looked in the Late Bronze Age period, instead off representing the full spectrum of its history. Evans also overemphasized the Minoan identity of the site, leaving out the aspects of Mycenaean culture that influenced Knossos' art and architure.
On the positive side, the site's reconstruction helped save many parts of the site that would have otherwise been lost. Moreover, while the restoration of some art and architecture was inaccurate, it did help evoke the elegance and skill of Minoan architects and painters.
Reproduction of the "Ladies in Blue" fresco by Emile Gilliéron fills, 1927 / 1525-1450 BCE (Minoan period)
During the New Palace phase, the group floor was dedicated to economic activities, and contained large storage rooms.
The residential quarters—which notably had toilets—were located southeast of the Central Court, at the foot of the Grand Staircase.
The palace was lavishly decorated with wall paintings depicting thing like bull-related sports and richly-dressed women.
Large stone "horns of consecration", which were important Minoan religious symbols, hung prominently in the West Court.
Other notable parts of the palace include the Theatrical Area, which is believed to have served as a viewing space, the Tripartite Shrine, which was dedicated to the worship of an important Minoan deity historians refer to as the "Mother Goddess", and the Piano Nobile, a grand space located on the palace's second floor.
Learn more:
One fresco excavated from Knossos in 1914—"Ladies in Blue"—has been reproduced for New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The copy reproduces and embellishes fragments that were burned or roded on the original fresco.
Agate lentoid seal depicting wild goats/ To left, the seal, to the right, the impression made by the seal / 1400-1300 BCE (Minoan period)
During his trips to Krete, archaeologist Arthur John Evans discovered several ancient tablets.
They eventually led him to define the forms of Minoan writing known as Linear A and Linear B.
The Minoans used these forms of writing for recording many things, including business transactions.
For example, one clay tablet at the palace of Knossos was inscribed in Linear B script. The tablet detailed the transfer of coriander—often used in the perfume industry—between a man named Kyprios and another person named Twinon.
The deciphering of tablets such as these has given historians great insight into many aspects of Minoan culture and society.
Learn more:
During the Middle and Late Minoan period, Minoans buried their dead in a terracotta coffin known as a larnax.
Many larnakes were found buried in a cemetery to the north of the town that surrounded the palace at Knossos. The coffins were shapes like bathtubs or chests, and were often elaborately painted with scenes that were chosen for their funerary significance. They were also sometimes buried alongside valuable grave offerings.
It's possible the coffins had domestic uses as well, functioning as either bathtubs or storage chests.
Aryballos shaped like the head of the Minotaur / 580-560 BCE (Archaic Greece)
According to the myth, the half-man half-bull Minotaur was born after Queen Pasiphae slept with a bull sent by the gods as punishment upon her.
This embarrassed King Minos, but he could not bring himself to kill the Minotaur.
Depictions of "bull-leaping" were prevalent throughout Minoan art, and bull-leaping scenes are believed to have decorated the walls above ceremonial bull-rings. However, the reasons for engaging in such an activity remain unknown. Mythical bulls like the Minotaur played important roles in Minoan iconography. This is likely due to cattle being a vital asset in the Kretan economy, especially during the Bronze Age, Bull and cattle are even mentioned in various Linear B documents.
Cameo of Ikaros and Daidalos, with Pasiphae and Artemis / 1st cent. BCE (Roman period)
Daidalos was an important figure in Greek mythology.
An ingenious inventor, he once became so jealous of his similarly-clever nephew that he threw him from the top of the Athenian Akropolis.
As a consequence, Daidalos was banished from Athebs, though this did not prevent him from being able to get work.
In Krete, he was hired by Queen Pasiphae to construct an artificial cow suit that would allow her to seduce a bull she was particularly taken with due to a curse from the Gods.
Daidalos complied, and his invention helped facilitate the birth of the Minotaur.
Afterwards, Minos conscripted Daidalos to build the Labyrinth, presumably as penance for his role in creating the Minotaur.
But perhaps the most well-known story about Daidalos involves his son, Ikaros, who used wings built by his father and flew too close to the sun, thus plummeting into the sea.
Learn more:
Much of the story of Daidalos as we known it comes from the Roman poet Ovid. While older versions of the story exist in ancient Greek sources, they wary wildly in their telling and often contradict each other when it comes to specific details.
Silver drachma of Knossos with Hera on obverse and the labyrinth on reverse / 300-270 BCE (Hellenistic period)
Some time after the birth of the Minotaur, King Minos' son Androgeos was killed in Athens by the same bull that impregnated his mother.
An infuriated demanded that Athens send seven of their noblest men and seven of their most virtuous women to Knossos every year.
After being carried to Krete aboard a ship with black sails, the men and women would then be cast into the Labyrinth to be eaten by the Minotaur.
Learn more:
Athens' donating of youthful men and women to Krete may have been based on a real payment of tribute to the Aegean's dominant trading power in Bronze Age Greece. However, this is only a theory.
Attick black-figure amphora with a scene of Theseus killing the Minotaur / 550 BCE (Archaic Greece)
One of the Athenians youths chosen to be imprisoned in the Labyrinth, Theseus, had enough of the morbid ritual.
Before leaving Athens, he proclaimed he would kill the Minotaur, then return to his city on a ship flying while sails.
Before entering the Labyrinth, Theseus met King Minos' daughter, Ariadne, who fell madly in love with him.
Ariadne provided Theseus with a thread he could unravel to him find his way back out of the maze.
Armed with this thread, Theseus entered the Labyrinth, killed the Minotaur, escaped the maze, and set sail for Athens with Ariadne by his side.
Learn more:
After successfully killing the Minotaur, Theseus set sail for Athens with Ariadne, but stopped in Naxos for a long celebration. Due to the many hours of feasting and drinking, Ariadne fell asleep and forgot to return to Theseus' boat, which departed for Athens without her. In another version of the story, Theseus deliberately left Ariadne behind.
When Theseus realized what he'd done to Ariadne, he was so distraught that he forgot to change his ships' sails from black to white. When his father Aegeus saw the ominous black sails on Theseus' ship, he presumed his son was dead and, fraught with grief, threw himself into the sea.
Herodotos:I see you've found your way through the maze of ruins. The Minoans played a large part in shaping Greek myths, but also in introducing influences from other places and cultures. Now, what else would you like to do?
("I'm ready for the quiz.")
("Take on the next suggested tour.")
("Take me on a random tour.")
([LEAVE] "That's all for now.")
Herodotos:Farewell, traveler. I hope you enjoyed exploring the ruins.
