Palace of Knossos

Palace of Knosses

Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete 

Cultures: Minoan & Mycenaean 

Founded: 7000 BC  

Periods: Neolithic to Late Bronze Age 

Type of Structure:

• Palace complex 
• Administrative centre
• Capital of Crete 

Location: Heraklion, Crete, Greece 

Area: 22,000 square meters

Built in early second millennium 

Have a great water supply and sewage system 

Labyrinthine corridors and the famous Grand Staircase linked the multiple areas of the building from 3-5 storey high that were situated around the central court 

Materials 

• Stone 
• Timber frame: to provide flexibility in case of earthquake 
• Stone wall : mixed with rubble & clay
  • Facings dressed with masonry 

Coulmn Shape 

• Made of cypress tree trunks 
• Smaller bottom & larger top
  • Inverting the tree trunk to prevent sprouting 
• Painted red 
• Mounted on stone bases
  • With round pillow-like capitals

Spaces 

• West wing housed religious activities 
• East wing contianed royal apartments 
• Large storerooms
  • Contained enormous storage jars (pitharia) 
  • Workshops 
• South Propylaeum & North Entrance were fortified by colonnaded bastions

Water Systems 

• Three separate water management systems- 
  • Supply 
  • Drainage 
  • Drainage of waste water
• Aqueducts carried fresh water to Kephala hill from the sprigns at Archanes 
• Gravity feed through terracotta pipes to fountains & spigots 
• Sanitation drainage was through a closed system leading to a sewer apart from the hill
• Due to torrential rains runoff systems were necessary 
• Flat surfaced areas had open channels that zigzagged & contained catchment basins to control the water velocity 

Ventilation

• Sea breeze during the summer ventilated the palace 
• Porticoes & airshafts 

Lighting

• Groudn floors had very few windows & opening for security reasons