What is the history of the ancient city of Knossos?

Knossos is an archaeological site and ancient urban centre in Crete, Greece, widely considered Europe's oldest city. Dominated by the monumental Palace of Minos, it served as an administrative, economic, religious, and ceremonial hub from the Neolithic period into the first millennium AD. The site is also famously intertwined with Greek myths such as the Labyrinth and the Minotaur.

What we know

• Settlement on Kephala hill at Knossos began around 7000 BC, making it one of the earliest known Neolithic settlements on Crete. [2]
• The first palace at Knossos was built around 1900 BC, then rebuilt and expanded after a major destruction around 1700 BC. [2]
• In 2025, Knossos was inscribed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Minoan Palatial Centres. [2]
• The Throne Room inside the palatial complex was built for ceremonial purposes during the 15th century BC. [4]

Still open

• The role of the palatial complex as a royal residence remains debated.
• While a major palatial destruction is conventionally dated to about 1350 BC, the precise chronology of the palace's final destruction remains debated.

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWhat was the Minoan civilization?
• compared withHow does the palace at Malia compare to Knossos?
• a case in pointWhat is inside the Throne Room at Knossos?
• how we knowWhat Greek myths are associated with King Minos?
• whenWhen was Knossos occupied through the Roman and Byzantine periods?
• an unexpected connectionHow does an ancient cemetery in Armenoi link to Mycenaean contact?A stirrup jar with a Linear B inscription found in a tomb at the Armenoi cemetery suggests Mycenaean contact during its later occupation.

Sources

• [1]Knossos (Wikidata Q173527) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Knossos · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Malia (archaeological site) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Throne Room, Knossos · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Armenoi (archaeological site) · CC BY-SA 4.0