Knossos ~ Κνωσός
Knossós is the oldest and most sophisticated city of the ancient western world. Knossos was the first inhabited area of ancient Crete, from as early as 7000BC, and subsequently became the largest and most influential of Minoan centres. The Knossiotes reached an incomprehensible level of sophistication, coming to their zenith between the years 2400-1400BC. The city they created could be deemed modern by today’s standards.
At the centre of Knossos stand three and four storey buildings with throne rooms and spiritual chambers, central halls, bedrooms, bathrooms, intricate spiral stairways and light wells. Also discovered were modern bathrooms with flushing toilets and sophisticated plumbing that fed in fresh spring water and plumbing for taking away waste water. There are tales that mention that the residents had central heating ducted through underground pipe systems utilising local thermal springs, although there seems to be some debate about this.
On the ground level and basements vast storage areas were excavated lined with large earthenware storage jars, ranging in size from rhytons to human size. The entire city was gracefully decorated, with frescoes and wall paintings of Griffins, dolphins, bull-leaping figures, male processions with youths carrying ceremonial jars (rhytons) and beautiful woman with sophisticated attire convening and enjoying a tête-à-tête.
The ancient site of The Palace and City of Knossós is located in the central north of the island of Crete in Greece, 5 km from the capital Iraklion.
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