There was once a wise lawgiver and a fair judge who ruled over the kingdom of Knossos. Homer called him “a companion of mighty Zeus”, and Thucydides says he was the first man to hold sway over the Aegean with his powerful fleet.

Go carefully through this life or you will have the chance to meet him, as King Minos is now one of the three judges of souls in Hades.

Sir Arthur Evans began his great excavation of Knossos around 1900. He is the archaeologist who named the civilization he found there “Minoan” after King Minos.

Inhabited since the Neolithic Period (6th millennium BC), Minoa reached the height of its power during the Bronze Age, lasting over 1500 years, from 2600-1100 BC.

Minoans were “Mediterranean type” people of medium height with curly black hair and brown eyes. Their society was organized into “clans” with farming, the raising of stock, shipping and commerce as their main methods of livelihood.

During their 1700-1350 BC zenith, the Minoan civilization was expanding. New palaces were built upon ruins of old palaces. Governors lived in large rural villas from which they controlled the surrounded areas (much like the feudal states in Europe). Roads increased in number and quality, harbors became more organized, swift ships carried their art and produce to the whole of the civilized world.

The new palaces were multi-storied, and had great courtyards. There were broad, easy stairways, monumental entrances and processional paths. There were great halls for audiences, banquets and sacred ceremonies.

Aqueducts brought fresh spring water to Knossos by use of gravity. They emptied into terracotta pipes which connected to public fountains.

The closed sanitation system has been excavated and is visible today as terracotta pipes draining into a sewer outside of the palace, emptying into the river. The Queen had a bathtub as well as a flushing toilet.

Rainwater was collected by a series of drainage pipes and gutters. The enormous earthenware pots used for storing rainwater and other necessities are available for viewing.

Their main deity was the Mother Goddess, who is portrayed in various forms. She was the mistress of the animals and goddess of the heavens. She was often worshipped alongside the god of fertility.

Inside the Throne Room you will see the only original throne located in its original setting from ancient times. The gypsum throne of the king remains against the wall, with a large open chamber in front for receiving visitors.

Details of Minoan life are depicted in images on walls found in many areas of the palace. Men are depicted with ruddy skin, women are depicted as very white, and most are depicted in young adulthood. There are very few scenes of children or elders.

Minoans also revered the bull, and there is wall art depicting bull-leaping, in which an athlete grabs the bull by its horns and attempts to jump over its back. There is no evidence of human sacrifice in Knossos.

Minoans are mentioned in chronicles and stories by numerous ancient authors and historians. Minoans fought in the Trojan War alongside Meriones, bringing 80 ships to the effort.

No one is sure why the Minoan civilization came to an abrupt halt, but it a widely held assumption than the eruption at Santorini annihilated this once thriving community.