Knossos Palace was the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan Civilization during the Bronze Age. Considered as Europe’s oldest city, Knossos was once the city-state of Crete, with the town surrounding the hill the palace is on. The area actually has a very long history of human habitation, from the first Neolithic settlement around 7000 BC, jusqu'à 1500 BC, when the surrounding city had a population of 100,000. The palace suffered through an earthquake but then was reconstructed. It’s believed that the palace was abandoned around 1380 À 1100 B.C. for largely unknown reasons.
The excavation and exploration of the site have provided historians with a wealth of knowledge and insight into the Minoan Civilization. Tools like clay and stone incised spools and whorls point to a cloth-making industry and curvaceous female figurines indicate the worshipping of mother goddesses. The palace structure we see today is not exactly as it looked in its original time, due to reconstruction and renovation throughout the years, and it is considered by some archaeologists as a facsimile. The palace complex is not believed to have just been the residence of the monarch but also as the civic, religious, and economic center of Knossos.
Thus on the west side of the palace, there are the ceremonial halls on the upper floors and the public storerooms. De plus, there are the sanctuaries, the treasuries as well as the throne room. In the southwestern part of the palace, sont la cour ouest et l'entrée ouest menant au couloir de procession. Ce dernier était décoré de fresques. Sur le côté gauche du couloir, sont les Propylées et les fameuses Doubles Cornes. Les Doubles Cornes sont l'un des symboles sacrés de la religion minoenne.
Du côté est se trouvaient les appartements royaux, qui menait à un grand escalier, chambres du personnel, et un sanctuaire. Parmi les pièces les plus importantes figurent la Double Hache et l'Appartement de la Reine avec la fresque murale des dauphins.. Au nord et à l'est de l'appartement de la reine se trouvent les principaux entrepôts ainsi que le couloir Zatriki.. Dans le couloir Zatriki, les anciens jouaient à un type d’échecs appelé « Zatriki ». Plus à l'est se trouvaient les différents ateliers, ainsi que les entrepôts royaux. L'aile nord est dominée par le “Customs”, a tank of purges, and a stone theater. From the theater starts a Cobbled Road that led to the small palace. Finally, in the south wing, there was the majestic south Propylos.
