Heraklion, Crete - Knossos Palace and Archeological Museum

Heraklion, Crete - Knossos Palace and Archeological Museum - October 23, 2023

October 27, 2023

We arrived in Heraklion last evening and checked into our hotel, GDM Megaron, which is actually an historical monument. It is within easy walking distance of the west pier of the Heraklion harbor and the Venetian fortress (Koules)...more about this later.

Our driver picked us up at 9:00 AM and we proceeded to Knossos for a tour. The Palace of Knossos is a Minoan Bronze Age archeological site but the settlement dates back to the Neolithic age...about 7000 BC. The first Minoan palace was built around 1900 BC. It served as a religious and administrative center. It was destroyed around 1700 BC (probably by an earthquake...common in Crete) and rebuilt around 1650 BC. It was again destroyed around 1350 BC by fire which caused the upper stories to collapse...the palace was not rebuilt.

The site was eventually covered over and forgotten about.

The site was first excavated in 1877, but in 1900 Arthur Evans did more extensive excavations and uncovered some of the most famous artifacts.

I had first visited here in 1980 and remember being fascinated by some of the Minoan innovations including covered troughs that served as sewers carrying the waste away.

Sewer line running between houses

A lot of the palace has been reconstructed so that visitors can see what it looked like. The columns and beams were made of wood (thus the destruction by fire) but were reconstructed by Evans using concrete.

Below is a picture of the "throne" room although whether this was an actual throne room or an area for a priestess is undecided.

Throne Room

They have recovered many artifacts which are now in the archaeological museum (which we visited next). Reproductions of frescoes are located at Knossos, but the original frescoes are in the museum. Some of the earliest frescoes can be traced back to 2000 BC and produced by Minoan artisans who reportedly were also commissioned to produce frescoes in Egypt.

One of the most famous is the Leaping Bull which dates back to 1600-1400 BC. Three figures and a bull can be seen. The bull grappler forces the bull to lower its horns. The leaper dives between its horns to land first on the bull's back and then on his feet behind the bull.

Leaping Bull Original in museum

Leaping Bull Reproduction at Knossos

"In Greek mythology, King Minos dwelt in a palace at Knossos. He had Daedalus construct a labyrinth, a very large maze (by some connected with the double-bladed axe, or labrys) in which to retain his son, the Minotaur. Daedalus also built a dancing floor for Queen Ariadne." (Wikipedia)

To learn more about this spectacular archeological site, click HERE.

After our visit to Knossos we visited the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. This was overwhelming. I could have spent days here. The number of items that were recovered at Knossos as well as the other three Minoan palaces (Phaistos, Malia, and Zakros) is unbelievable.

Some of the most fascinating artifacts are shown below:

The Phaistos Discs has 24 symbols. They are repeated and combined to create 241 symbols spiraling from the center to the edge. The meaning is still unknown.