Prehistoric Knossos

Knossos lies among the inland hills 6 km (3.7 mi.) south of the city of Heraklion on the north central coast of Crete, in the valley of the river Kairatos and its tributary, the Therron. To the east rises the hill of Ai Lias, to the north is the low height of Kefala, to the south the hill of Gypsades, and roughly in the south of the valley stands the hill of Kephala tou Tselevi, where the Bronze Age palace was built. In the early seventh millennium bce, a settlement of farmers and herders arose on this low hill in the valley, forming one of the earliest known farming sedentary villages in Europe. Significant socioeconomic and ideological ferment, in the later third millennium bce on Crete, resulted in the appearance of proto-urban centers and the rise of complex sociopolitical structures. The most important center was Knossos, which in the following centuries became the largest city in the Aegean and Mainland Greece and one of the largest in the Eastern Mediterannean. Knossos was the most important political, economic, ideological, and artistic center of Crete and the Aegean, and its brilliance extended beyond the geographical limits of the island to Egypt and the empires of the East. Of course, how far the culturally leading role of Knossos may be interpreted as a sign of a lasting island-wide political system is highly debatable. Most Cretan centers were destroyed around 1450 bce, due to human agency. Knossos recovered quickly, emerging as the sole political center of the island. A hierarchical administrative system extended across almost the whole of Crete, accompanied by new forms of political, administrative, and ideological expression. Although the dominant view attributes these changes to the establishment of a mainland Mycenaean dynasty, it has been argued that this new order was the creation of a Knossian leadership that imposed its rule by the use of new instruments of power. Despite their military might, however, the rulers of Knossos were unable to maintain their authority for long. In 1325/1300 bce, the palace was destroyed. Knossos fell into decline, and the town shrank significantly. However, the memory of its Bronze Age glory remained alive in the Greek tradition of the historical era, in the tales of King Minos, son of Zeus and Europa, a powerful and merciless sovereign, highest judge of souls, inspired lawmaker, and ruler of the seas.