Cnossos. Detailed history

Cnossos (also known as Knossos), inhabited continuously from the Neolithic period from 7000, is located on the northern shore of the island of Crete. It is best known for its Minoan-Mycenaean Palace, which was discovered, excavated, and partially reconstructed during the early twentieth century. The city comprised the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization, and later the Mycenaean power on the island.

The earliest settlers arrived by boat and built simple villages near the sea. In this early period, the site probably had a population of about 500 people, connected through extended families living in similar-style homes made of mud-brick comprising one or two rooms. Although a typical Neolithic settlement, the village did have one house that was larger, with eight rooms, and which may have been a central storage facility.

The village shows a close living arrangement among the houses, with little privacy. During the Middle Neolithic period, the population probably approached 1,000, and the homes evolved more toward private rather than communal edifices, with more features. A great house with two stories again suggests a community place, perhaps an early religious or government center.

During the Minoan period, around 2000, palaces were beginning to be constructed throughout Crete, which were completely different than the earlier buildings. These palaces may have been influenced by designs from the mainland of Asia Minor and showed a concentration of power and money. These early palaces lasted from 2000-1700 before being destroyed or damaged by earthquakes.

In addition to Cnossos, other palaces existed on Crete at Mallia farther to the east, Zakros on the eastern shore, and Phaistos on the southern shore. These early palaces were then rebuilt during the next century on a larger scale, and this period (1650-1450) marks a time of Minoan prosperity and cultural height.

Although Cnossos’s palace was larger than the others, all of them took a similar form. There was a central courtyard, and around it was a variety of structures such as storage facilities, shops and working centers, living quarters, and of course administrative areas. The courtyard probably had multiple functions—religious, entertainment, and political.

The palace at Cnossos covered over three acres in itself and was multistoried. The storerooms held large earthen jars (pithoi), some reaching five feet in height, which were used to store grain, oil, wine, and other commodities. The palace also had bathrooms featuring an extensive drainage/sewage system. At Phaistos and later Cnossos, theaters existed, probably used for religious and entertainment purposes. These palaces came to an end at around 1450, with only Cnossos surviving until about 1370, when it too was destroyed.

The destruction appears humanmade, and the last century of the palaces demonstrates Mycenaean rule as shown by archaeological remains. Most likely, after conquering the island and destroying the smaller palaces, the mainland Mycenaeans ruled from Cnossos until their rule ended around 1200 and the palace was destroyed. The latter period had Mycenaean Linear B script tablets similar to those found on the mainland.

The palace at Cnossos was more than just a residence; it was also the heart of the city and the surrounding region. It was located on the Kephala, a hill outside Cnossos, and had been the original site of the Neolithic inhabitants. The palace included three acres for the main building and a total of five acres for all the other buildings. The state or official rooms were in the western courtyard, and the more important and larger rooms were on the upper floor. The ground floor had rooms associated with the ritual cult, and a monumental staircase connected the two floors. Farther west were at least nineteen storerooms, which contained the large pithoi.

Opposite the official receiving rooms were a number of private residences. The palace here could take advantage of the hill and had terraced floors, with two below ground. This residential area went down to the Keiretos River. As with the official rooms, the main living quarters were on the upper floor, also approached by a monumental staircase. The private rooms also had bathrooms with toilets.

One of the most important places to survive was the so-called Throne Room. To get there from the courtyard, one walked up four steps and through four doors into an anteroom with benches made of gypsum lining the walls. From here, going through a set of double doors, was the Throne Room. The northern wall had an alabaster seat embedded into the wall, which the archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans identified as a throne. On the remaining three sides were benches, and on the opposite wall of the throne behind the benches was a basin.

The throne room was richly decorated with frescoes. The throne was flanked by two griffins, mythological beings, which seem to have been a special symbol of the Minoans. The purpose of the room and throne is not clear. Evans argued that it had religious purposes, with the chief priest or priestess sitting there. According to him, the Mycenaeans would have used this room as their political symbol of power. Another theory holds that the room was for religious purposes, and it was reserved for the arrival of the goddess, who would sit on the throne. The symbolism would have been stronger had an effigy being used as in other Greek temples and cult statues, but without such representation it is unknown. In this scenario, the basin would have been used for ritual cleaning.

The foundations of the palaces were built of stone, while the upper layers were made of unbaked bricks on wooden supports sometimes several stories high. The roof was flat, with clay over the rafters. There were well lights to provide natural light to the inner rooms, and wooden, fluted columns provided support for the upper stories. The rooms were also decorated with frescoes. Unlike other Greek art from this time, which had militaristic scenes, the Minoan art of the palaces often portrayed scenes of sea life, musical events, and town life. In addition, both men and women were presented, with women having elaborate hairstyles, idling around the town, and wearing varying types of fashions.

Near the north entrance of the palace, the late Minoans constructed a theater that could house 400 spectators. Unlike later theaters, which had circular orchestra areas, the Minoans’ theater was rectangular. It apparently was primarily used for religious ceremonies, including dancing. These theaters existed at other places, such as at Phaestus. Unlike other Greek cities, and even the Palace at Phaistos, the hill was not an acropolis; it was not high or steep enough for that. In addition, it was never fortified and was never like the Mycenaean citadels, even when ruled by Mycenae. This has given indications of how Cnossos survived for so long without walls or citadels.

An early theory put forward by Sir Arthur Evans, the original excavator, proposes that Cnossos was the center of the great Minoan sea empire as espoused by the Greek historian Herodotus. The idea here was that the Minoans did not have need for fortifications due to their naval power. The legends indicated that the Minoans controlled the Aegean Sea and were able to extend their power across Greece. The theory said that Minoan power was destroyed by the earthquake at Santorini, which caused a tsunami destroying the Minoan naval power. The evidence for this is not significant because other sites on Crete show that they were not destroyed since the tsunami could not have reached them, but Minoan power still declined.

These findings then leave open the whole story of Minoan power and control. Most likely, Cnossos controlled a feudal system in Crete that had extensive sea trade throughout the Aegean, but it was not a great naval power. Instead, as an island, it did not face a constant threat of invasion as other sites did. This in turn meant that the region did not have to develop the sophisticated defensive works that other areas needed. Tied with the growth of power at Cnossos was the legend of Minos, which presented him as a great king who oversaw the entire Greek world. This legend was intermixed with the story of Theseus, the son of King Aegeus of Athens, who slew the Minotaur

Cnossos then had a rich history, as shown in both its archaeological remains and mythology. Clearly, to the Greeks on the mainland, Cnossos showed great antiquity even before their own history. While they viewed Cnossos as a great civilization, the Greeks also saw that it was conquered by the Mycenaeans, and then the Dorians.