The Palace of Knossos Travel Guide
Knossos, the largest Bronze Age archeological site found on the island of Crete, was the political and ceremonial center of the Minoan culture and civilization. It consisted of an ancient Palace as well as the town that enclosed it. The world is found south of the modern town of Iraklion, that is on the north coast of Crete.
Archaeologists believe that town was initial thickly settled throughout Neolithic times, starting around 6,000 B.C. However, the primary Palace on the location wasn’t designed till around 1,900 B.C. on high of the ruins of the previous settlements. Around 1,700 B.C., an earthquake or foreign invaders destroyed this Palace, at the side of alternative palaces on Crete. Quickly, the Palace was restored on a grander however less huge scale.
In 1894, Sir Arthur Evans discovered the Palace of town. However, it had been not till 1900 that he and his team were able to begin the excavation of the location. His restoration work has been the source of frantic controversy among archeologists ever since, though it will offer the traveler a way of what the palace may need sounded like.
When walking through the Palace, a traveler has the chance to witness a number of the superb frescoes that adorn the walls in many sections. Most of those frescoes are reconstructions by Piet de Jong, and were typically recreated from solely a couple of bits of painted plaster. Several original and reconstructed frescoes are housed within the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, with replicas of them adorning the Palace. Several contain paints that are still vivid once 4,000 years. For example, upon getting into the Palace, one will read the beautiful Fresco of the Procession. Different frescoes, entitled the Parisianne, Cup Barer and Tripartite Shrine, adorn a neighborhood of the Palace known as the Piano Nobile, that may be a giant grounds. One of the most popular frescoes, found in the Queen’s Apartments, is the Dolphin Fresco. A replica of this work is found over a doorway in the apartment, while the original is displayed in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. This fresco, with its bright colors, is considered one of the most striking works of Minoan art within the Palace of Knossos.
The Palace incorporated numerous rooms. One of the most dramatic was the Throne Room. It consisted of a large chair, built into the wall, facing several benches. In addition, this room included a tank, which archaeologists believe was an aquarium. On the south wall is a fresco depicting mythical beasts called griffins, with a lion’s body and an eagle’s head.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Palace of Knossos is its place in Greek mythology. Many myths seem to be based on various aspects of the Palace. These include Daedalus building a Palace with no exit, Icarus traveling to the sun with his wax wings and the Theseus fighting and killing the Minotaur in the Labyrinth.
A walk through the Palace of Knossos allows the visitor to view all the unique aspects of this ancient building as it was in the past. In addition, doing so allows them to take a step into Greek mythology, something that they may only have experienced through a book.
Image by Ania Mendrek, cavorite, Nelo Hotsuma under CC License.
