Part of the palace at Knossos, as controversially reconstructed by Sir Arthur Evans.
Minoan palaces were massive building complexes built on Crete during the Bronze Age. They are often considered emblematic of the Minoan civilization and are modern tourist destinations.[1] Archaeologists generally recognize five structures as palaces, namely those at Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Galatas, and Zakros. Minoan palaces consisted of multistory wings surrounding an open rectangular central court. They shared a common architectural vocabulary and organization, including distinctive room types such as the lustral basin and the pillar crypt. However, each palace was unique, and their appearances changed dramatically as they were continually remodeled throughout their lifespans.
The palaces' function is a topic of continuing debate in Minoan archaeology. Despite the modern term "palace", it is generally agreed that they did not primarily serve as royal residences. They are known to have contained shrines, open areas for communal festivals, industrial workshops, as well as storage magazines for large agricultural surpluses. Archives of Linear A and Linear B tablets suggest that they served in part as local administrative centers.
The first palaces were constructed around 1900 BC, as the culmination of longer-term social and architectural trends. These initial palaces were destroyed by earthquakes around 1700 BC but were rebuilt on a grander scale, with new palaces appearing at other sites. Around 1450 BC, a wave of violent destructions destroyed all of the palaces except for Knossos, which was itself destroyed roughly a century later.
^Preziosi, Donald; Hitchcock, Louise (1999). Aegean. Oxford University Press. p. 63. ISBN 9780192842084.
Minoanpalaces were massive building complexes built on Crete during the Bronze Age. They are often considered emblematic of the Minoan civilization and...
civilization in Europe. The ruins of the Minoanpalaces at Knossos and Phaistos are popular tourist attractions. The Minoan civilization developed from the local...
used for the Minoans. One is based on sequences of pottery styles, while the other is based on the architectural phases of the Minoanpalaces. These systems...
tourist destination. Knossos is dominated by the monumental Palace of Minos. Like other Minoanpalaces, this building served as a combination religious and administrative...
and Syria, Minoan religious practice was not centred around massive formal public temples. However, it Is now thought the Minoan "palaces" and perhaps...
Minoan pottery has been used as a tool for dating the mute Minoan civilization. Its restless sequence of quirky maturing artistic styles reveals something...
Two Minoan snake goddess figurines were excavated in 1903 in the Minoanpalace at Knossos in the Greek island of Crete. The decades-long excavation programme...
Minoan art is the art produced by the Bronze Age Aegean Minoan civilization from about 3000 to 1100 BC, though the most extensive and finest survivals...
The Minoan eruption was a catastrophic volcanic eruption that devastated the Aegean island of Thera (also called Santorini) circa 1600 BCE. It destroyed...
The Galatas Palace is a Minoan archaeological site on Crete discovered in the early 1990s. Built on a much older settlement, a Minoanpalace was constructed...
Early Minoan period, the site's hills were terraced and monumental buildings constructed on them. The first palace was built in the Middle Minoan IB period...
Minos as the namesake for the Minoan civilization of Crete. The Minoanpalace at Knossos is sometimes referred to as the Palace of Minos though there is no...
ancient Minoan town on northeastern Crete. It includes a building which shows strong similarities with Minoanpalaces and is sometimes labeled as a palace. Petras...
Zakro or Kato Zakro) is a Minoan archaeological site on the eastern coast of Crete. It is regarded as one of the five Minoanpalaces, and its protected harbor...
distinctively Minoan subject of bull-leaping also appears. The production of luxury art for, and probably often in, the Minoanpalaces was already a well-established...
include the Assyrian palaces at Nimrud and Nineveh and the Persian palaces at Persepolis and Susa.[better source needed] The Minoans built complexes referred...
capital of Minoan, reaching an 11.61% stake in the company. Minoan sold its 18% stake in Forthnet to Intracom. 2006 The MS Ariadne Palace was sold to...
Lustral basins were common in elite buildings such as Minoanpalaces and villas. Each palace had at least one lustral basin, with Phaistos having four...
wider metropolitan area, according to the 2011 census. The ancient Minoanpalace at Knossos is located 5.5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of the city. It is the...
around 1500 BC. The "new" palaces are the main source of information on Minoan architecture. The palace of Knossos called the Palace of Minos is the most elaborate...
people of ancient Crete, known for its elaborate and richly decorated Minoanpalaces, and for its pottery, the most famous of which painted with floral and...
Daskalogiannis airport at Chania serve international travelers. The Minoanpalace at Knossos is also located in Heraklion. The earliest references to...
109413; 25.792612 (Gournia) Gournia (Greek: Γουρνιά) is the site of a Minoanpalace complex on the island of Crete, Greece, excavated in the early 20th...
palaces of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations, which flourished in the Late Bronze Age on Crete and mainland Greece respectively. The term palace...
museum holds the great majority of the finds from the Minoanpalace at Knossos and other Minoan sites in Crete. The museum began in 1883 as a simple collection...
have been found within ancient Egyptian tombs (around 3150 BC), the Minoanpalaces (Middle period III of the Neopalatial period, 1700–1600 BC), the Oxtotitlán...
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