- Bronze Age city near current day Heraklion on the island of Crete
- Believed to be the political, cultural, religious, and administrative center of Minoan civilization
- First settled in 9000 BCE
- Huge city by 19th century BCE holding over 100,000 people
- Remained a seat of local power through the 800s but population eventually left the city of the nearby town of Heraklion
- Discovered in 1878 by Minos Kalokairinos at Kephala Hill
- Site purchased by Sir Arthur Evans in 1900 who lead mass excavations of the area
- Coined term Palace of Minos, the large sprawling structure found at the site
- Artist Piet de Jong restored and recreated discovered artwork including large throne room frescos, a very controversial act
- Currently a tourist destination, but access is limited for safety concerns
- Consists of thousands of living spaces, work areas, and storerooms
- Very advanced signs of plumbing and ventilation- had systems for water delivery and removal as well as flood control
- Supported with columns made of Cypress trees instead of stone
- Paintings throughout the palace depict Minoan history and religious beliefs but show a surprising lack of military scenes. There are no signs of the Palace being a military instillation or defensive fortress
- Art suggests that the “labrys,” a double headed axe, was an important symbol throughout the culture
- Largest room is known as the Throne Room due to the discovery of a large alabaster seat
- Unsure whether Throne Room was used for political or religious purposes
- Knossos is believed to be the location of the mythical Labyrinth
- Myth (found in Ovid's Heroides) says that King Minos gained power with the help of Poseidon but disrespected the god by failing to sacrifice a beautiful white bull
- As punishment Minos's wife fell in love with a bull from the sea and had a child
- The Minotaur was a monstrous half-man, half-bull crossbreed who ate men to survive
- As suggested by the Oracle, Minos build a huge labyrinth in Knossos to hide the Minotaur
- In payment for the death of Minos's son Androgeus by the Athenians, seven Athenian men and women were sacrificed to the Minotaur every 9 years
- During the third cycle, the Minotaur was slain by Theseus who escaped the maze using string to retrace his steps
- He was helped by Ariadne, one of Minos's daughters, and later married Minos's other daughter Phaedra
- Many artistic depictions of Theseus's victory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Theseus_Minotaur_Ramey_Tuileries.jpg
Sculpture of Theseus fighting the Minotaur by Ramey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Knossos_-_09.jpgPalace of Minos
Sources
http://www.crete-map.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knossos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur
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