The island of Crete lies at the southern end of the Aegean Sea. By 2.500 BC, it had become the home of the Minoan civilization. The Minoans named after their legendary king, Minos, were peaceful people who loved art and beauty, and built-up trade links around the Mediterranean.
The Palace of Knossos is located just at the south of modern-day Heraklion near the northern coast of Crete. The palace is over 20.000 square meters and the largest of all Minoan palatial structures. It was built of ashlar blocks, had several floors, and was decorated with magnificent frescoes.
The palace consisted of about 1.000 chambers surrounding the central courtyard and was equipped with a sewage system. The throne room was one of the most gorgeous chambers. It consisted of a large chair built into the wall, facing several benches. In addition, this room included a tank, which archaeologists believe was an aquarium. On the south wall is a fresco depicting mythical beasts called griffins with a lion’s body and an eagle’s head. In the west wing, there were shrines, official rooms, and a huge warehouse, while in the east, there were ruler’s apartments and workshops.
Excavated ruins of the nearly 4.000-year-old palace of Knossos on the Greek Island of Crete. Built by the Minoan culture, considered the oldest advanced culture in Europe.
Throne Room, Knossos Palace, Greece.
A detail of the griffin fresco from the throne room, palace of Knossos, Crete.
The Knossos Palace is also well-known for its beautiful wall frescoes. These frescoes portrayed a non-militaristic society whose activities included fishing, athletic games, and ceremonies such as acrobatics on the back of a charging bull.
The old palace was built around 1.900 BC but was destroyed by an earthquake around 1.700 BC. The newer, more complex palace was built almost immediately after the first one was destroyed. In the middle of the 15th century BC, the Achaeans took over the island of Crete and settled in the palace. Once again, the palace was destroyed by fire in the middle of the 14th century BC; henceforth, it ceased to function as a palatial center.
Bull Jumping, fresco wall painting, Knossos, Crete 1.700 BC. -1.500 BC.
- This design is based on a 3.500-year-old fresco in the Knossos Palace, Crete. Now on display at the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
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Dolphin Fresco in the Queen’s Megaron (detail) circa 1.600 BC.
Detail, frescoes.
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- This design is inspired by the famous mosaic found in Antioch (modern-day Hatay, Turkey).
- It says "Effrósinos"which means joyful, full of happiness, cheerful.
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- "Cave Canem" means "Beware of the dog" in Latin.
- This design is inspired by the Roman mosaic at the Casa di Orfeo, Pompeii, Italy.
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- This design is inspired by an ancient Minoan vase. This vase, found at Palaikastro, a wealthy site on the far eastern coast of Crete, is the perfect example of elite Minoan ceramic manufacture.
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- Athena; Greek Goddess of Wisdom and Courage, Civilization and Justice, of Artisanal Skill and Strategic Warfare. The patron Goddess of Athens and her virtues were often represented with the Owl, for its ability to pierce through the gloam of night allows it the vision and perception to see well beyond those who are blinded by the darkness around them. In Athena the Athenians saw the virtues they sought to aspire to, and commemorated her by painting the Owl into their pottery and vases, and would even mint the unblinking and ever-vigilant Owl into their coinage.
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