Knossos
| Κνωσός | |
Restored North Entrance with charging bull fresco
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Crete, showing Heraklion, location of ancient Knōsos
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| Alternate name | Cnossus |
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| Location | Heraklion, Crete, Greece |
| Region | North central coast, 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of Heraklion |
| Coordinates | 35°17′53″N 25°9′47″E / 35.29806°N 25.16306°ECoordinates: 35°17′53″N 25°9′47″E / 35.29806°N 25.16306°E |
| Type | Palace complex, administrative centre, capital of Crete and regions within its jurisdiction |
| Length | North-south length of inhabited area is 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Width | East-west width of inhabited area is 3 km (1.9 mi) max. |
| Area | Total inhabited area is 10 km2 (3.9 sq mi). The palace building itself is 14,000 m2 (150,000 sq ft) |
| Height | Unknown |
| History | |
| Builder | Unknown |
| Material | Ashlar blocks of limestone or gypsum, wood, mud-brick, rubble for fill, plaster |
| Founded | The first settlement dates to about 7000 BC. The first palace dates to 1900 BC. |
| Abandoned | At some time in Late Minoan IIIC, 1380–1100 BC |
| Periods | Neolithic to Late Bronze Age. The first palace was built in the Middle Minoan IA period. |
| Cultures | Minoan, Mycenaean |
| Associated with | In the Middle Minoan, people of unknown ethnicity termed Minoans; in the Late Minoan, by Mycenaean Greeks |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1900–1931 1957–1960 1969–1970 |
| Archaeologists | For the initial teams' work discovering the palace: Arthur Evans; David George Hogarth, Director of the British School of Archaeology at Athens; Duncan Mackenzie, superintendent of excavation; Theodore Fyfe, Architect; Christian Doll, Architect For the additional work on the Neolithic starting in 1957: John Davies Evans |
| Condition | Restored and maintained for visitation. Evans used mainly concrete. Modern interventions include open roofing of fragile areas, stabilized soil, paved walkways, non-slip wooden ramps, trash receptacles, perimeter barbed wire fence, security lighting, retail store and dining room |
| Ownership | Originally owned by Cretans, then by Arthur Evans, followed by the British School at Athens, and finally by the current owner, the Republic of Greece. |
| Management | 23rd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website |
"Knossos". British School at Athens. "Knossos". Odysseus. Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism. 2007. |
| Current activity is preservational. Restoration is extensive. Painted concrete was used for wood in the pillars. The frecoes often were recreated from a few flakes of painted plaster. | |
Knossos (/ˈnɒsɒs/; Greek: Κνωσός, Knōsós, [knoˈsos]), also Latinized as Cnossus or Gnossus, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and is considered Europe's oldest city.
The name Knossos survives from ancient Greek references to the major city of Crete. The identification of Knossos with the Bronze Age site is supported by tradition and by the Roman coins that were scattered over the fields surrounding the pre-excavation site, then a large mound named Kephala Hill, elevation 85 m (279 ft) from current sea level. Many of them were inscribed with Knosion or Knos on the obverse and an image of a Minotaur or Labyrinth on the reverse, both symbols deriving from the myth of King Minos, supposed to have reigned from Knossos. The coins came from the Roman settlement of Colonia Julia Nobilis Cnossus, a Roman colony placed just to the north of, and politically including, Kephala. The Romans believed they had colonized Knossos. After excavation, the discovery of the Linear B tablets, and the decipherment of Linear B by Michael Ventris, the identification was confirmed by the reference to an administrative center, ...
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