Discover the secrets of Knossos Palace

Knossos Palace is one of the most famous archaeological sites in Greece and in the world.

It is located on Crete Island, close to the town of Heraklion. The palace was a very important centre of the Minoan culture. Many stories and myths are connected with this stunning place. I am sure that you are familiar with the myth of King Minos and the labyrinth where he kept the Minotaur.

Knossos is a marvellous site with a rich history, from the Neolithic village to the centre of the Minoan civilization. It attracts more and more tourists and history fans every year. According to current trends, it is believed that the number of visitors in 2024 may exceed one million! 

 

 

How to get to the Knossos Palace

Knossos is located 5 km south of Heraklion town. In front of the site, there is a free parking lot for cars and buses.
Also, you can take the bus from the Heraklion Central Bus Station A, which takes 20 minutes to drive.

There are organised tours from Heraklion, Chania, Rethymno or Agios Nikolaos to visit the Knossos Palace, Heraklion and Archaeological Museum in one day.

If you come to Crete with the travel agencies, usually they will organize excursions for you. We visited this amazing place in September 2021, and you can see people wearing masks in photos because of COVID-19 restrictions in that period.

 

 

Price tickets and useful information for visiting the site

It is always good to visit archaeological sites early in the morning because they get crowded during the day.
Take a look at what to know before the visit.

♦ Opening time: 8-20h in April-September; 8-17 in January-March, and 8.30-18h during October-December.
It is closed for holidays, such as 1st January, 25th March, 1st May, Easter Sunday, 25th, and 26th December.
◊ The price ticket with the Digital Companion Guide is 19 EUR.
♦ The Combo ticket (includes Knossos Palace and Heraklion Archaeological Museum Ticket with Audio Guide) is 39 EUR.
◊ You can purchase the ticket online for the speedy entrance, or buy it directly on the site.
♦ At the entrance, you can buy water or juice. A gift shop and toilets are also available.
◊ Wear comfortable walking shoes or sneakers, because the paths on site are mostly unpaved and rocky.
♦ Bring a hat, sunscreen and water, especially during hot summer days.
◊ It takes approximately two hours to visit the Knossos Palace, depending on the crowd.
♦ Generally, weekdays are less crowded than weekends.

 

The beginning and the end of Knossos Palace 

The first settlement in this area was erected in the Neolithic period, 6700-3200 BC.

Knossos was built on the low Kephala hill, and it was the largest Minoan palace.
The first palace was built around 1900 BC. This Old Palace was destroyed in 1700 BC, probably due to the earthquake. Then, the New Palace was built at the same place.

Well, it is believed that the end of the Minoan civilization was probably around 1450 BC. It was caused by the strong earthquake, the volcanic eruption of Thera on Santorini, and the Mycenaean Greeks’ invasion.
Even though Knossos remained a main centre, it was not the same. Around 1380 BC, the palace was abandoned, probably due to conflicts with the Myceneans from mainland Greece. This is considered the end of the Minoan era.

Despite this, we can still see some of the ruins of Knossos today, a reminder of its glorious time.

 

Excavation of the Knossos 

Minos Kalokairinos, a Cretan merchant and antiquarian, was the first who discover the ruins of the Knossos Palace in 1878.
But Ottomans, who ruled Crete at that time, stopped an excavation. After establishing a new Cretan government in 1899, the major excavation started in 1900 and lasted until 1905 by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans and his team. Then, the excavation continued from 1922 to 1930.
Even though his methods have been criticized regarding the reconstruction of the palace, he had a major role in discovering the site, the Minoan civilization, and Linear A and Linear B scripts.

Sir Arthur Evans was dedicated to writing about his Minoan work.  Also, he had a big impact on the history of the British Museum and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

The last restoration project of Knossos was from 2010 to 2015, to protect this marvellous ancient wonder.

Most of the excavated artefacts found in Knossos and other ancient places on Crete were transferred to the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. By the way, the biggest Minaon collection outside Crete is at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford (England).

At the entrance, there are two busts in honour of Minos Kalokairnos and Sir Arthur Evans.

So, let’s go for a walk through the mysterious history of the Minoan period.

 

A few words about the Minoan Civilization 

The Minoan civilization belongs to a Bronze Age culture, and it is believed to be the first civilization in Europe.

It was developed from the Neolithic culture around 3100 BC. After 1450 BC, they were under the domination of Mycenaean Greeks, making together a new culture around 1100 BC.

The Minoan history is divided into three major periods: Early Minoan (EM) 3,100-2,100 BC, Middle Minoan (MM)  2100-1700 BC, and Late Minoan (LM) 1700-1075 BC. Minoans were engaged in agriculture, cattle and sheep raising, and pottery making. Also, they were traders regarding the specific geo-position of Crete in the Mediterranean.

The main Minoan palaces on Crete were: Phaistos, Malia, Zakros, Kydonia and Knossos. These palaces were inscribed on the UNESCO Heritage List in 2014. In fact, Knossos was the political, economic and religious centre of the Minoan civilization. It was home to the ruling dynasty, and the most famous among them was King Minos.

Even though it looks like the remains of buildings are scattered on the site, it is not like that. All of them were interconnected in one large palace complex which covered an area of 20,000 square meters.

There is a marvellous wooden structure of the Knossos Palace in the Archeological Museum in Heraklion. So, we can only imagine how impressive it looked in ancient times…

👉 You can read more about the Archeological Museum in Heraklion here.

 

Cretan scripts

From 1900 to 1700, two writing systems were used in parallel.
First, it was Cretan hieroglyphics and then Linear A. Most signs have a syllabic phonetic value, while others represent animals, humans and various goods. They were incised on clay tablets, round discs, and sealings.

 

Linear A was used in the palace and religious writings of the Minoan civilization. Later it evolved into Linear B, which was used by the Mycenaeans to write an early form of Greek. They have not been fully deciphered until today.

 

Who was King Minos?

King Minos was the son of Europe, the Phoenician princess from Tyre (Lebanon) and God Zeus.
So, Zeus fell in love with Europe and transformed himself into the beautiful white bull. He took her on his back, ran and swam to the Matala beach on the island of Crete. Then, he revealed his true identity, and Europa became the first queen of Crete.

Minos had two brothers, Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon, and they were raised by King Asterion (or Asterius) of Crete. When Asterion died, Minos took his throne, and probably, banished his brothers.

As a king, Minos was a cruel tyrant and he ru led the Crete and the islands of the Aegean Sea under the instruction of Zeus. But he was the author of the Cretan constitution and the founder of its naval supremacy. The civilization got its name after him.

With his wife, Pasiphaë, he had eight children, and with a nymph, Pareia, he had four sons. Take a look at the Minos family tree.

 

Exploring Knossos

 

The Central Court of Knossos

According to Greek legend, the famous architect Daedalus designed the Minoan palace. He was a craftsman, an artist and the greatest inventor of ancient Greece.

The heart of the palace is the Central Court, a large open space with dimensions 25 x 50 metres. It is surrounded by the palace’s wings with around 1,300 rooms, various objects, and corridors. There were four entrances in the palace.

 

Take a look at the Knossos Palace map. It is believed that the central court has been used for meetings, religious ceremonies, public events, and festivals.

 

Kouloures

Today, the main entrance to the archaeological site is from the western side.

Our first stop on the Knossos tour was near the Kouloures. There are three big pits with stone walls in the ground, built during the period of the Old Palace, 1900-1700 BC. It is supposed that they were used for storing grain, or the leftovers from the sacred offerings.

In the background, on the right side, you can see the part of the western facade.

 

West Porch

Then, we came to the West Porch. Once, it was a roofed area supported by columns. Today, only one red column can be seen. On the east side was the famous “Bull-Leaping” fresco. Its fragments are in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, together with other frescoes’ remains from Knossos.

 

The grand staircase led to the palace’s southern wing. In front of you, there are the remains of one of the Minoan houses.

 

The long Corridor of Procession started from the West Porch, went to the South Propylaeum and then to the Central Court.

 

The South Propylaeum

The South Propylaeum was another impressive entrance to the palace. It was restored by Sir Arthur Evans.

 

You can see the replica of a reconstructed fresco of the “Cup-Bearer” on the wall. It represents Minoan men carrying ceremonial vessels. 

 

In front of it, on the east side of Propulaeum, there are several pithoi –  large storage jars. The Mycenaeans used this part as a storage area.

 

Along the path, you can see a reconstructed Bull Horns statue, a Minoan symbol of religious worship – “Horns of Consecration”.

By the way, one of the characteristics of Minoan civilization was the high knowledge of engineering and water management. They had separate systems for supplying the water, drainage, and sewerage. In the following photo, you can see one of the drainage channels (in the middle). 

 

On the right side, there are remains of the south entrance corridor.

 

A replica of the famous fresco “The Prince of Lilies” can be seen on the remaining wall. It represents a young man, probably the prince or priest, with a necklace and a crown of lilies with peacock feathers.

 

West Wing of the Knossos Palace and Piano Nobile

From the South Propylaeum, we went up the stairs to the upper floor of the West Wing. This part is also known as the “Piano Nobile” like the Italian Renaissance palaces. It was used as a reception room and for religious activities.

 

 

From the Central court, you can see the remains of the Tripartite Shrine, the main sanctuary, and its Treasury.
The clay vases with valuable objects, Linear B tablets, and the famous figurine “Snake Goddesses” (today at the Heraklion Archeological Museum) were found there.

By the way, the “Snake Goddesses” figurines are the most important cult objects from the sanctuary. They got their name after the snakes around the body and their arms, which often symbolize the renewal of life. The goddesses wear luxurious garments and have large breasts, which symbolise the fertility of women.

 

The Throne room of King Minos

One of the most famous spots in the Knossos Palace is the Throne Room. It is considered that it was King Minos’ throne.

 

It is a chamber with a stone throne, which is considered the oldest throne room in Europe. The room is reconstructed by Evans, and later during the conversation works, the walls were painted because they were badly damaged.

This chamber looks very impressive. Around the throne, there are stone benches, and on the floor, there is a stone vessel, probably used in ritual ceremonies. The frescos of griffins covered the walls around the throne, regarding their role to be the guardians of treasures. These mythical and powerful creatures had the body, tail, and back legs of a lion, and the head and wings of an eagle.

 

On the other side of the room, there is a small space surrounded by black columns. Evans called it the “Lustral basin”, a sunken area used for ritual purification.

 

The Legend of Minotaur 

As you know, Greek mythology consists of many interesting stories.
One of the most fascinating is the myth of the Minotaur, a creature with the body of a man and the head of a bull.

So, let’s remember a story that has fueled people’s imaginations for centuries.
God Poseidon sent a white bull to King Minos to be sacrificed. But the bull was beautiful, and King Minos sacrificed another bull. Poseidon was angry, and as punishment, he cursed Pasiphae, King Minos’ wife to fall in love with a white bull.
Then, Pasiphae asked Daedalus, a famous architect and craftsman to build her a wooden cow, so that she could be with the white bull. And from this relationship, the Minotaur was born, half a man, half a bull…

King Minos ordered Daedalus to build a labyrinth beneath the palace and close Minotaur there. The monster was strong and to survive, he had to eat people. So, the King of Athens had to provide seven young girls and seven young men every nine years, to be sacrificed and to feed the minotaur.

But Theseus, the young prince of Athens, wanted to end this terrible practice. He volunteered to be one of these seven men. When he came to Crete, he met Princess Ariadne, the Minos’ daughter. She fell in love with Theseus and decided to help him.

After consulting Daedalus, who made the labyrinth with winding corridors and dead ends, Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread and a sword. He unravels it as he went deeper into the labyrinth so that he could find a way out.

Fortunately, Theseus killed the Minotaur, and successfully escaped from the labyrinth thanking “Ariadne’s thread”.

 

The legend of Dedalus and Icarus

Another myth is connected with the Daedalus architect and his son Icarus.

So, Theseus and Ariadna eloped together after the death of the Minotaur. But, Theseus left her on the Naxos island and went home to Athens. King Minos was very angry and he imprisoned Daedalus and his son, Icarus in the labyrinth. Since they can not escape by sea or by land, Daedalus got the idea to make wings, just like birds have. He used bird feathers of various sizes, thread, and beeswax, and shaped them into a bird’s wings.

Before the flight, Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too high. The heat of the sun would melt the beeswax, and the wings would fall apart.

So, they escaped and passed the islands of Samos and Delos. But Icarus disobeyed his father and he flew up toward the sun. And just like Daedalus said: the sun melted the beeswax, the feathers fell off, and Icarus fell into the sea. Daedalus cursed his work; he found Icarus’s body on an island and buried him there. He named the island Icaria in memory of his son.

After that, Daedalus went to Sicily where he built a temple to Apollo, offering his wings to the god.

 

East Wing and Royal Palace 

It is supposed that the East Wing had four levels and it included the king and queen chambers, and workshops.

 

Also, the residential rooms, storerooms and administrative offices were located there. The levels were connected with a system of staircases and corridors known as the Grand Staircase. Well, it is another architectural wonder of Minoan engineering.

 

The red columns support the structure of the palace giving it a marvellous look.

 

The walls of the Royal Palace were beautifully decorated with many frescoes.

 

The Hall of the Double Axes is one of the largest rooms in the palace. It is believed that it served as the King Minos apartment or as a ceremonial hall. The hall got its name after the double axe or “labrys” carved on the walls, which was a symbol of Minoan power.

The Queen’s Megaron is a suite of rooms of the Minoan queen. One of the most beautiful frescoes was there, known as the “Dolphin Fresco”, with dolphins swimming in the sea. But there is something more interesting. The queen had a clay bathtub and probably the world’s first water-flushing toilet!

The East Wing was partially restored, but during our visit, we were not allowed to visit these halls.

The remains of the grand stairs could be seen even today.

 

The North Entrance and The Customs House

From the Central Court going to the north, first, you will find the most famous and photographed spot. According to Evans, it could be the Customs House, for checking the goods of sea trade before they come to the palace.

 

The remains of the building with red columns look amazing. It is believed that this area served as a centre for palace administration, religious ceremonies, and social meetings.

 

On the remaining wall, you can see a restored Relief of Bull with gold horns and an olive tree.

 

It is supposed that there were two collonades with porticos on the North entrance passage, known as “Bastions”. And probably it was the main entrance to the palace.

 

Evans reconstructed the west bastion which we can see today.

 

 

In front of it, there are remains of North Pillar Hall, a large rectangular room approximately 10×22 metres. It was supported by two rows of pillars.

 

Also, a large number of storerooms with pithoi – big storage jars for food, wine and oil were found at the northeast corner, close to the hall.

 

North Lustral Basin

The part of the Customs House was a Lustral Basin.
According to Sir Evans, it was used for ceremonial cleansing and other religious purposes.

 

By the way, lustral basins are small square chambers sunk into the floor of the surrounding room. The entrance is in a descending L-shaped staircase and the chamber is open at the top. The lustral basins were found on Crete and Cyclades.

 

Royal Road and Theatre

The Royal Road leads north of the Little Palace. It is one of the oldest and best-preserved ancient roads in Europe. The road divides into two ways: one road goes to the West Court, and the other road goes to the Theatre area.

 

The theatre is a L-shaped and paved area of steps, approximately 13×10 metres. According to Sir Evans, it was used for ceremonies watched by standing viewers, and probably for Minoan ceremonial dance.

 

The Minoan art: frescoes and pottery

The walls of the Minoan Palaces are decorated with various vibrant frescoes with scenes from daily life and religious ceremonies.
Some of the popular frescoes in Knossos I have mentioned are “Prince of the Lilies”, “Leaping Dolphins”, and “Procession Fresco”.

One of the most famous is the “Bull-Leaping Fresco” depicting the Minoan sport of bull-leaping. Its fragments can be seen in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, as well as the frescos “La Parisienne” and “Ladies in Blue”.

 

A wide variety of beautifully decorated pottery was made during the Minoan era. The most of these items can be seen today in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.

 

There are many various sizes and dimensions of vases, figurines, and burial urns.

 

Knossos, between the history and myths

 

Well, visiting Knossos was a fantastic journey through time.
Even though some reconstructed parts don’t belong to ancient times, the remains of Knossos Palace are marvellous.

The labyrinth of rooms, courtyards, jars, frescoes and walls, takes you back to a time filled with myths of the Minotaur, King Minos, Theseus, Ariadne, Daedelus and griffins.

At the same time, these myths are full of symbols, such as courage, sacrifice, honour, love and duty which are so valuable, especially in the present time.

I hope that archaeology fans enjoyed the story of Knossos Palace, as I enjoyed walking its paths between the ruins.
So follow me and find out more in the next post of the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, and what you can see there.
Stay tuned…