Listed 3 sub titles with search on: Archaeological sites for wider area of: "HERAKLIO Town CRETE" .
KNOSSOS (Minoan settlement) CRETE
Tel: +30 2810 231940
Fax: +30 2810 241515
Knossos is the heart of the Minoan civilization, according to tradition the seat of the
legendary king Minos and the birthplace of thrilling stories, such as the myths of the Labyrinth with
its Minotaur and of Daidalos and Icaros. The site was inhabited continuously from the Neolithic
period (7000-3000 BC) until the late Antiquity. The first epigraphical testimony derives from the 14th
century BC Linear B tablets, where the city is referred to as Ko-no-so. The Minoan settlement of
Knossos develops especially during the palatial era, which is defined by the periods of the Old
(19th-17th centuries BC) and New Palaces (16th-14th centuries BC) respectively. In the latter period
the Minoan civilization reaches its peak, with a vigour that is reflected at all levels: population growth
and subsequent residential expansion, economic prosperity and social complexity, flourishing of the
material culture with the palatial art reaching its apogee. In 1450 BC the palaces of Crete are destroyed
by causes, for which there is no consensus among researchers. Nevertheless, the fall of the palaces
marks the end of the Minoan civilization. Only the palace of Knossos will survive for a century still, as
the seat of the new rulers of Crete, the Mycenaeans. The city of the historical times left behind scarce
remains, mainly sanctuaries and graves; throughout Greek antiquity, Knossos will survive in the literary
sources, from the time of Homer till the Hellenistic historian Diodorus Sikeliotes, as the glorious kingdom
of the mythical Minos. Knossos flourished again during the Hellenistic period, while in 67 BC the city was
occupied by the Roman consul Quintus Caecilius Metelus Creticus and became a Roman colony. In the
medieval times, a few kilometers northwards of Knossos, would emerge the new capital of the island, the
city of Chandax, namely the contemporary Heraklion.
The location of ancient Knossos was first spotted in 1878 by the Cretan antiquarian and
merchant Minos Kalokairinos.
Arthur Evans
conducted systematic excavations at the site between 1900 and 1931, bringing to light the palace, a
large section of the Minoan city, and its cemeteries. Since then, the site and its wider region have been
excavated by the British School of Archaeology at Athens and the local Archaeological Service. The
restoration of the palace to its present form was carried out by Arthur Evans. Conservation and
consolidation works are carried out by the Archaeological Service of the Ministry of Culture, imposed
by the need to preserve and protect the monuments uncovered.
KNOSSOS (Settlement) HERAKLIO
Tel: +30 2810 231940
Fax: +30 2810 241515
Knossos is the heart of the Minoan civilization, according to tradition the seat of the
legendary king Minos and the birthplace of thrilling stories, such as the myths of the Labyrinth with
its Minotaur and of Daidalos and Icaros. The site was inhabited continuously from the Neolithic
period (7000-3000 BC) until the late Antiquity. The first epigraphical testimony derives from the 14th
century BC Linear B tablets, where the city is referred to as Ko-no-so. The Minoan settlement of
Knossos develops especially during the palatial era, which is defined by the periods of the Old
(19th-17th centuries BC) and New Palaces (16th-14th centuries BC) respectively. In the latter period
the Minoan civilization reaches its peak, with a vigour that is reflected at all levels: population growth
and subsequent residential expansion, economic prosperity and social complexity, flourishing of the
material culture with the palatial art reaching its apogee. In 1450 BC the palaces of Crete are destroyed
by causes, for which there is no consensus among researchers. Nevertheless, the fall of the palaces
marks the end of the Minoan civilization. Only the palace of Knossos will survive for a century still, as
the seat of the new rulers of Crete, the Mycenaeans. The city of the historical times left behind scarce
remains, mainly sanctuaries and graves; throughout Greek antiquity, Knossos will survive in the literary
sources, from the time of Homer till the Hellenistic historian Diodorus Sikeliotes, as the glorious kingdom
of the mythical Minos. Knossos flourished again during the Hellenistic period, while in 67 BC the city was
occupied by the Roman consul Quintus Caecilius Metelus Creticus and became a Roman colony. In the
medieval times, a few kilometers northwards of Knossos, would emerge the new capital of the island, the
city of Chandax, namely the contemporary Heraklion.
The location of ancient Knossos was first spotted in 1878 by the Cretan antiquarian and
merchant Minos Kalokairinos.
Arthur Evans
conducted systematic excavations at the site between 1900 and 1931, bringing to light the palace, a
large section of the Minoan city, and its cemeteries. Since then, the site and its wider region have been
excavated by the British School of Archaeology at Athens and the local Archaeological Service. The
restoration of the palace to its present form was carried out by Arthur Evans. Conservation and
consolidation works are carried out by the Archaeological Service of the Ministry of Culture, imposed
by the need to preserve and protect the monuments uncovered.
HERAKLIO (Town) CRETE
Tel: +30 28210 53033, 56119
Fax: +30 28210 56118
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