Five kilometres east of Heraklion are the ruins of the Palace of Knossos. The first palace was built around 1900 BC. 200 years later it was destroyed by an earthquake and it was rebuilt again, becoming more majestic and luxurious. В 15th century BC, the palace was finally destroyed by another earthquake. and fire. The palace was not only a royal residence, but also a religious and administrative centre.
In 1878, a merchant and amateur archaeologist from Heraklion, Minos Kalokerinos, began the an excavation of one of the warehouses. As a result, the huge ruins of the of the Palace of Knossos.
The palace is a complex of buildings that are grouped around a a large inner courtyard. They are arranged on different levels, connected by staircases and corridors. by staircases and corridors, some of which go deep underground. The corridors lead to dead ends, the transitions between floors are made in the most unexpected and the layout of the rooms defies common sense. The palace is not monolithic structure, at its centre is a rather vast courtyard.
The floors of the palace are supported by columns and connected by staircases. Historians suggest that life in this palace was of the most opulent and and varied. This is borne out by the countless surviving fragments and pottery, found amongst the Knossos ruins. Hundreds of halls and rooms were used for ceremonial receptions, and served as quarters for the king and queen, dignitaries, ladies of the court. court ladies, servants and slaves. There were also spacious workshops for the king's craftsmen. Huge storerooms were discovered in the palace, a theatre, a theatre that could hold up to 550 people, places for ritual bullfighting, an elaborate sewage and water system, and even the first flush toilets flush toilets in history. From the palace began the oldest road in Europe, used only by pedestrians.
In the throne room of the Knossos Palace, the walls depict griffins - mythical creatures with a lion's torso, eagle's wings and head. Tales of the monstrous bull probably didn't arise by chance. The walls of the palace of Knossos are covered numerous frescoes, which are well preserved. On them, as well as on stone and gold vessels, there are always images of a bull, sometimes peacefully grazing, sometimes furious. sometimes peacefully grazing, sometimes furious, galloping. The cult of the sacred bull was widespread on the island, but it is still not clear what religion was there.
Among the drawings in many rooms of the palace are frequent depictions of of a double-edged axe. It's a symbolic sign associated with the religious worship of the Cretan inhabitants. The double edged axe is called "labris" in Greek. Scholars say that's where the word "labyrinth" comes from. "the house of the double axe," the palace of King Minos.
