Knossos a boyhood dream

I have always wanted to visit Knossos, must be all those boys own books at Christmas when I was growing up. So here I am on a pleasant summer day, and its only 34C.

Now for a bit of history. When the Athenians killed Androgeos, Minos went to war to avenge his death. He defeated the Athenians and extracted a tribute in revenge, of seven youths and seven maidens who were sent to Knossos every nine years to be fed to the Minotaur. We all know the legend of the Minotaur which was a clever propaganda ploy by the Minoans. Knossos is still an impressive and pleasant place to visit, even without any signs of a mythical beast .

At first site the port of Heraklion does not inspire one with the traditional Greek experience.

But travel only a few miles inland, and you find the real Greek experience and the legendary city of Knossos.

The port is much more atmospheric at night as you can see. The image below is a recreation of the second age palace. It was constructed at about 1700 BC, after the earthquake caused by the island of Santorini exploding leaving the caldera and island you see today. These are some of the remains we will visit today.

Knossos, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and has been called Europe's oldest city. The palace and surrounding city, boasted a population of 100,000 people shortly after 1,700 BC. It is best known for the legend of the Minotaur, which has some minor basis in fact.

History recounts that the Athenians killed Androgeos, the son of Minos.

Minos went to war with the Athenians to avenge his sons death. He defeated the Athenians and extracted a tribute in revenge. The tribute being seven youths and seven maidens, who were sent to Knossos every nine years to be fed to the legendary Minotaur. We all have heard the legend of the Minotaur, which was a clever propaganda ploy employed by the Minoans.

Even without any signs of a mythical beast, Knossos is still an impressive and pleasant place to visit today. Only a small part of the city has been excavated, but you can get an idea of how impressive this place was in the past.

The palace gets its labyrinth legend, because construction of formal rooms at lower levels required the construction of light wells. Typically, light wells were shafts located along the side of a room or running the whole width of the end of the room. They were separated from the room by a low, colonnaded wall which supported lintels or roof beams.

Light Well above the Throne Room

I really enjoyed my visit here and if your ever on Crete, it would be a crime to miss it.

Selfies can be such a *****