Knossos Minoan Palace

In this excursion we will visit the Knossos palace, the most significant site of the renowned Minoan Civilization. Knossos is situated 5 kilometers away from the city of Heraklion at the eastern part of the island of Crete. King Minos, son of Zeus and Europe according to the ancient Greek mythology, headquartered his reign here and used Knossos as the capital city for his Kingdom. Glorious days of financial, technological and cultural development followed, with the ancient city reaching its peak between 1750 and 1400 B.C.

Several ancient historians and poets have referred to Knossos palace in their writings. Among others, Thoukidides, Herodotus, Homer, Hesiod, Plutarchos and Diodorus of Sicily. In addition, Knossos palace is related to a number of fascinating myths found in the ancient Greek mythology such as the Minotaur Maze and the Daedalus-Icarus flight.

The brightest remaining of the Minoan Civilization, Knossos palace, was first revealed to the modern world in 1879 by a local named Minoas Kalokairinos. In the years that followed, a Bristish journalist and ethnologist named Arthur Evans (later Sir Arthur Evans), would turn the slow excavation to a full-scale operation, taking advantage, among others, important political changes that took place at the time. By 1931, the revelation of the imperial palace had been completed together with the excavation of the biggest part of the ancient city of Knossos. The vast majority of the findings were moved to the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion where they are kept safe up until our days.

Duration: 7 hours

Cost: 195 euros

Theme: Minoans, the first European civilization