Beyond the Myth: King Minos, the Minotaur and the Birth of European Civilisation

The Palace of Knossos has four significant firsts: the oldest European throne, the first paved road in Europe, coloured frescoes 3000 years before the technique was rediscovered in the Renaissance and used to paint the Sistine chapel, and Europe’s first toilet.

Located on the North coast, about 5km from the town of Heraklion, most of what can be seen today is part of the second palace that was built on the site.  Both were destroyed by earthquakes, but it was quickly rebuilt after the destruction of the first in around 1700 BC.  Further excavations of the first palace aren’t currently possible because of the damage it would cause to the later palace.

King Minos' throne on the right, surrounded by
griffons 

The oldest throne in Europe is a little underwhelming now that modern comparison is to the Iron Throne.  Back in 1450-1400 BC, when the throne was likely built, the average height of a woman was 150cm and a man was 160cm.  The throne is on the North wall and is surrounded by griffons, with the head of an eagle, body of a lion and tail of a snake.  The actual use of the room is unclear, but the bowl in the middle was probably for purification before talking with the King.

Beyond the myth

Myth: King Minos is one of three sons of Zeus and Europa who ruled over Crete.  Each had a palace of their own, and Minos ruled in the palace of Knossos, the larger of the four palaces on the Island.  It’s unclear who ruled the fourth palace.  

Reality: The term “King Minos” was actually a title, much like “Pharaoh,” passing down the male line with each son claiming the divine right of being the son of Zeus when he was crowned.

The first paved road in Europe is still intact 4000 years later!  It isn’t level any more due to the earthquakes which shook Crete and ultimately destroyed both palaces.  The courtyard at the end is likely to be a theatre where boxing matches happened in front of crowds and the royal box.  Alternatively, it could have been an entrance square for tradespeople bringing goods into the customs house of the palace.  Or, it could even have been both at different times of the year.

Beyond the myth

Myth: King Minos had Daedalus build a labyrinth under the palace to contain his Minotaur son.   

Reality: The complex is 22,000m² and had over 1000 rooms split over five storeys.  It would have been home to thousands of people, with hundreds more living in the surrounding city and entering the palace to work each day.  It’s labyrinthine, but there’s no actual labyrinth here.

The frescoes at Knossos are one of its main attractions.  The West Entrance was plastered and covered in a painting of 400 life-size figures partaking in everyday activities and festivities.  The originals are in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, with replicas in the palace.  The colours are so vibrant because they were made using dyes from plants, stone and blood painted onto wet plaster, sealing them into the material as it dries.  This technique was lost to Europeans for centuries until the Italian Renaissance and Michelangelo used it to paint the Sistine Chapel.

Bull-leaping, a traditional, but dangerous, sport at the time
The man in the middle is red and the two women either side of the
bull are painted white

At the time of the first palace, in 4000 BC, Crete had a sub-tropical climate and was home to monkeys, which is why there are frescoes of the animals.  In all the paintings, the primates are painted blue, men are red, and women are white.

Scenes of war and weapons are noticeably absent from the frescoes.  Similarly, the palace didn’t have any city walls.  The kings didn’t fear a revolution from its people, who lived in the surrounding hills and would have regularly come into the complex for work or trade.  The threat to the nation would have come from the sea, which was protected by the Minoan navy.

Paving from the first palace in front of the West 

Entrance.  The white stone of the wall is from

the second palace, and the yellow stone is from

Evans' renovations.

The final impressive first is Europe’s first toilet, complete with a complex cleaning system which flushed with water.  Found in the Queen’s Rooms, it’s unfortunately closed to visitors now due to the structural weakness of the ceiling above.  In fact, Knossos had three drainage systems; one for rainwater, one for drinking water taken from the nearby springs and one for sewage and dirty water.  These were made of both stone gutters and clay pipes.  The queen also has a pot for body lotion made of donkey milk and honey.

Beyond the myth

Myth: King Minos' wife had a son who had the body of a human and the head of a bull.  He was imprisoned in the labyrinth under the palace.  

Reality: Archaeologists have uncovered a sequence of rooms next to the Queen’s rooms which don’t have any windows or doors to the outside.  It’s possible that the King had a child who was disabled or for hidden away for some reason.  The secrets that the palace held probably led rise to the myth.

Dolphin frescoes in the Queen's rooms.
The bowl was for the Queen's body lotion

It wasn’t just the water systems which were technologically advanced for the time, Knossos architects also had a way to provide air conditioning to a room.  Even small rooms have 7-9 doors and windows to circulate the air, causing them to be significantly cooler than outside.  In cooler times of the year, the doors can be shut to increase the temperature.

When visitors see the palace now, it is with the additions made by English archaeologist Arthur Evans, who came to the palace in 1900, just two years after the Cretan revolution had repelled the Ottoman Empire.  Evans controversially used concrete in the renovations.  At the time, this was a revolutionary material that had only just been invented in France.  Another reason for its use?  The trees in 1900 simply weren’t big enough anymore.  Each column would have originally been made from a single tree, stood upside down so that the thicker end was at the ceiling.  Wood was used by the Minoans because of its elasticity and resistance against earthquakes.  Concrete provides a similar protection from seismic activity.

Beyond the myth

Myth: The minotaur lived on the sacrifice that Athens made of 7 boys and 7 girls each year.   

Reality: It’s likely that Athens did send the children to be sacrificed in the kingdom.  The West Entrance to the palace was the religious/ceremonial entrance and it’s paving with two altars and triangular markings show that sacrifices and religious offerings were likely to take place here.  The bones of animals have been found on the altars.

The destruction of the second palace is shrouded in mystery.  Historians are now certain that an earthquake destroyed the complex, but there haven’t been any skeletons found in the ruins, meaning that people must have been warned of the event in time enough to escape.  However, they left in such a hurry that they left all their personal belongings and even left the oil lamps burning.  When they fell in the earthquake, fire spread throughout the buildings but particularly in the 18 storerooms which contained cereals, wine and olive oil which fuelled the fire.  The blackened scars of this can still be seen on the stone and marble walls and pillars.

Bull fresco with Arthur Evans' reconstruction
of the structure and pillars

If you are heading to Knossos, check out a private tour with Evangelos Alefantinos from www.travel-crete.gr or on GetYourGuide.