Characteristics
Contenido
Su superficie es de unos 17 000 m² pero debido a que en muchas partes constaba de varias plantas, se estima que su área total era de . Disponía de más de 1500 habitaciones. Al oeste y sur un muro lo delimita, pero no era una muralla defensiva. Tenía puertas de acceso al norte, oeste y sur. Estaba construido sobre una pequeña colina, con piedra caliza sobre un armazón de madera. Entre sus elementos característicos pueden destacarse la existencia de pórticos con columnas y pilares, grandes losas de piedra en la parte inferior de los muros, claraboyas, escaleras, patios para proporcionar luz y ventilación y sistemas de drenaje de agua.[3].
West wing
In a large paved western courtyard or plaza there are three wells (kouloures) where grain was probably deposited. In this area was the main entrance to the palace, known as the "western propylaeum." This led to the “procession corridor” – which has this name due to the painting on the wall depicting offering bearers – which can be seen in part through a reproduction since the original is in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. A narrow corridor running from north to south separates the west wing of the palace into two parts. In the westernmost part there were 18 warehouses. When excavated, some were almost empty and in others large vessels and fragments of wall paintings were found. It is known that there was another floor above these warehouses. On the other side of the corridor were several rooms with functions of sanctuaries - "sanctuary of the three columns" and "tripartite sanctuary" - and also the so-called "throne room".[4][5][6] The tripartite sanctuary seems to have been the main sanctuary of the palace. It consisted of a crypt of pillars, a room where a huge jar was found and the so-called "treasure room", or "repository".[7] In the repository, among other objects, some faience figurines that are known as "snake goddesses" were found.[8].
The throne room, to the west of the central courtyard, was preceded by an antechamber. Both the antechamber and the living room had continuous stone benches that could have occupied around thirty people. A fresco with two symmetrical griffins "Griffon (mythology)") decorates the wall, flanking the stone throne. On the other hand, Evans rebuilt another throne in the antechamber, this one made of wood. At the back there was an annex that could have served as a chapel. In front of the stone throne, some fragments of jars were found that were supposed to have been used for ceremonies.[9] In front of the throne, at a lower level and separated by columns and a bench, there is a space known as a lustral bath, which may have been used for some purification ritual but its function is not clear because it did not have a drain.[7][10].
Southwest Area
The southern area of the palace is located on the edge of the course of the Vlykhya River. These corridors ended in another propylaea, which has been called "great propylaea" or "southern propylaea". Here is the fresco known as "The Ritophores." From here a staircase leads to the "sanctuary of the three columns".[6][11] To the right of the staircase is a rectangular chamber which, due to the discovery of objects belonging to the Greek historical period, was probably a sanctuary built long after the destruction of the palace.[7].
east wing
The east wing, which was the residential area of the palace, probably consisted of four floors, two of them at a level below the central courtyard, one at the same level as the courtyard, and another floor above. The wing was divided by a hallway running from east to west; To the north there were artisans' workshops and, to the south, residential rooms. A grand staircase – which has been considered a masterpiece of Minoan architecture – illuminated by a skylight, led to the royal chambers. A corridor led to the "chamber of the double axes" - named after the symbol of the double ax engraved on the walls - which was divided by a politiron. In this room, where the king probably carried out his duties, a throne has been restored. Megaron is the queen's bathing room, which also had a skylight and a system for water circulation.[6] Next to the bathing room, a door allows access to a hallway, and opposite is a small room known as the "gypsum sofa room", where in addition to a plaster platform there was also what Evans believed to be a latrine. Next to it is a small patio, called the "spinning wheel yard" due to its similarity to the symbols that are engraved. on the wall.[12] In the eastern area of the palace, the fresco of the taurocatapsia was also found[6] and, among the remains of a charred box, several fragments of ivory, some of which allowed the reconstruction of the statuette known as the acrobat, which has been interpreted as a bull jumper.[13] In the southernmost area of the queen's megaron is the "sanctuary of the double axes." for this use after the destruction of the palace and it functioned between approximately 1380 and In one corner of this sanctuary there is a small lustral bath.[7] In the northeast area there were spaces for workshops, including the marble maker's, warehouses for large jars and also the "zatrikion corridor", so called because in this place a unique object called the zatrikion or Knossos game board was discovered.[7].
North zone
In the north there was another entrance gate with a propylaea. There is a painting of a raging bull.[14] Next to this entrance, a sanctuary was built on the outside of the palace walls. In this area the fresco of the "saffron collector" was found[7] and another fresco that probably represented a ceremonial banquet of which the figure known as "la parisienne" "La Parisienne (fresco)" was a part.[15] The north door led directly to the "hypostyle room", which has been suggested as a checkpoint for goods arriving at the palace. In the northwest corner there was an enclosure that has been identified as a lustral bath.[7].
Also in the northern area is the outdoor theater area, where the stands form an L, and whose function is not entirely clear, although it could be to host some type of ceremony, meeting or show.[5][6].
A paved "royal road" started from the northern propylaea and led to the two ports of Knossos: Katsambas and Amnisos.[6].
central courtyard
The central courtyard, around which the entire palace was structured, was a large rectangular space measuring 53 x 28 m in the open air, with a north-south orientation. It is possible that in addition to being a meeting place, it was a venue for shows, including taurocatapsia,[7] although there is no agreement among specialists on this issue.[16].
sacred path
The theater area of the palace was connected by a paved road to the so-called "small palace of Knossos", a building located about 230 m from the main palace that had a special religious character. It has been suggested that a procession took place along this path in which sacred objects were transferred from one building to the other in front of the crowd.[17].
Linear B slats
Among the notable finds from the palace are some 3,000 fragments of clay tablets with linear B inscriptions. They were found in five different areas: the area near the northern entrance to the palace; the western area – both in the western warehouses and in other rooms, and some may even have fallen from an upper floor; the “chariot slat room”; the eastern area - which are mainly related to flocks of sheep - and "the arsenal" - these are related to cars and weapons.[18].
Given that linear B is an archaic form of Greek and that they have only been preserved because they were fired by fire, the tablets belong to the destruction of the Mycenaean phase of the palace, but the exact date on which this was produced has been much disputed. Some authors, including Evans, place them towards and others, such as Leonard Robert Palmer, around the On the other hand, a study by Jan Driessen identifies different levels of destruction related to the tablets.[19][20].
• - Minoan civilization.
• - Palace of Festos.
• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Knossos.
• - Greek Ministry of Culture (in English and Greek).
• - The work of the Scientific Committee of Knossos on the palace and the archaeological site (in Greek).
• - Digital tourist guide to the palace of Knossos (in Greek).
• - MACKENZIE, Donald A.: Myths of Crete and Pre-Hellenic Europe, 1917.
- Text, in English, on the Sacred Text Archive Internet site.
- VI: The Great Palace of Knossos.