Palace of Minos

Palace of Minos

ca. 1700-1300 BCE

1839

Single Built Works

Greece (nation)

Knosós (ancient site)

Minoan

palaces

stairs

View of the great staircase at the Palace of Minos at Knossos. "Homer mentions the great city of Knossos in the Odyssey. It was located on Crete, the largest of the Aegean islands. Because by legend King Minos ruled this city, the civilization is thus termed Minoan. Sir Arthur Evans discovered the buried remains of this palace and adjoining buildings in 1900 which at its height covered about six acres. This large multi-storied palace was organized around a central court, but the plan itself was complex, often called labyrinthine, in reference to the legendary Cretan labyrinth. The palace contained well-stocked magazines, royal apartments, shrines, a throne room, and service areas. Sir Evans excavated and reconstructed much of the site with some restorations in different materials (for example, the restored stone columns were originally wood) ... A stepped balustrade separates the staircase from a large light-well, which has on two sides superimposed colonnades. The unique columns taper from a wide top to a narrower base. Originally the columns were wood,"--by Mary Ann Sullivan, Bluffton University.

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