The Palace of Knossos

IN CRETE

Where is Crete on the map?

Ancient Greece

Knossos lies in the north centralpart of Crete

Knossos is next to the city of Heraklion

WHY IS THE PALACE FAMOUS?

• Because of the myth of the

MINOTAUR

He lived in a labyrinthunder the Palace ofKnossos

Half manHalf bull

HOW?

KING MINOS & THE LABYRYNTH

King Minos ordered to build a maze (= labyrinth) as a prisonFor the Minotaur, a monster who was half a man/half a bull:

LABYRINTH> LABRYS= double AXEMagical significance

KING MINOS

It is after him that Sir Arthur Evanscalled the civilization and art he discovered as …

…MINOAN CIVILIZATION/ ART

WHO is this man?????

Sir Arthur Evans

JOB: archeologistHe begins on March 23,1900,the excavation of Knossos.He spends all his life working on it

CENTRAL COURT

THRONEROOM

STOREROOMS

ROYALAPARTMENTS

THE GRANDSTAIRCASE

THE WEST COURT

MAIN ENTRANCE

HOW?THEATRE

1. There are about1300 rooms connectedwith corridors

2. SIZE: six acres

3. How many entrances?Four, on each of its four cardinal points

WHEN WAS IT BUILT? BETWEEN 1700 – 1400 BC

THE MINOAN COLUMNS

1.Different fromother Greek columns

2. They were constructedfrom the trunk ofa cycpress tree

3. SMALLER at the bottom and WIDER at the top

smaller

wider

BULL-LEAPING

WOMANLight skin

MANDark skin

The BULL

First phase of the activity:An athlete grasps theBull’s horns

Second phaseAn athlete vaults Over the bull’s back

Third phase: the athlete jumps on the ground

The fresco describes three different moments of a sport/activity

FRESCO