April 05, 2005
April 5 Photos: Laura
The Theatral Area, which served as a viewing platform, just outside the NW corner of the Palace of Knossos
One of the three kouloures, or planting pits for trees, to the west of the Palace
The South House, one of the many large, freestanding houses outside the Palace where upper-class Minoans lived
Prof. Rutter discusses the masonry of the walls in these villas
The large Central Court at Knossos, the heart of the Palace, which originally would have been paved with stone
To the north of the Central Court are the remains of the North Pillar Hall and a reconstructed colonnade above the North Entrance
To the west of the Central Court are eighteen of these small, thin storerooms, known as magazines, where the tall pithoi pots and the sunken cists held agricultural surplus like grain and oil and raw materials like rock crystal and gold
To the west of the Central Court are also a series or cult rooms, such as this Throne Room – the restored griffins flanking the throne indicate the occupant of the throne would have been female, perhaps a priestess
To the south of the Central Court, is the South Propylaeum, a large pillared gateway
Also to the south is a large reconstructed Horns of Consecration, a common Minoan religious symbol – the little blue and yellow blob in the center of the Horns is our tiny new friend, Miguel the Mariachi Man mentioned in yesterday’s update
To the east of the Central Court is the residential area – here Abby and Ben consider the Grand Staircase that leads down into the residential area and the light well that illuminates it
Prof. Rutter explains the layout of the residential area in the private inner apartment, also known as the Queen’s Hall
A section of the wall of the Little Palace, one of the elite villas outside the main Palace of Knossos, where excavations are still continuing
The Pillared Hall of the Unexplored Mansion, another elite villa next to the Little Palace, that was actually used for metal working
At the site of Vathypetro, Prof. Rutter indicates the foundations of a tripartite shrine, a popular Minoan sacred space divided into three sections
The beautiful landscape of Vathypetro
A huge flock of sheep grazes as we drive up Phourni, a hill that was the site of an important Minoan cemetary
Enjoying a picnic lunch on Phourni
Checking out the view from Mount Juktas, the site of a Minoan peak sanctuary
The impressive view from Mount Juktas of the town of Archanes