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Built by the Minoans, Knossos Palace is on the Greek island of Crete. Allegedly built by King Minos, Knossos Palace is home to the labyrinth that houses the Minotaur. Presently, Knossos is a major tourist destination.

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(Image credit: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-79201p1.html">Andrei Nekrassov</a> | <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/">Shutterstock</a>)

The Palace of Knossos is located just south of modern-day Heraklion near the north coast of Crete. Built by a civilization that we call the Minoans, it covers about 150,000 square feet (14,000 square meters), the size of more than two football fields, and was surrounded by a town in antiquity. The site came to prominence in the early 20th century when it was excavated and restored by a team led by British archaeologist Arthur Evans.

When the palace was first constructed "it must have been a remarkable sight, quite unlike anything seen on Crete before," writes J. Lesley Fitton in her book " Minoans (Peoples of the Past)" (British Museum Press, 2002). She notes that although other settlements on Crete around this time built palaces of their own, none was as large as Knossos. "Knossos perhaps began as a 'first among equals,' and the relationship between the powerful groups that built the palaces may not have been entirely friendly." The position of Knossos was not accidental, and Fitton notes that it lines up with a sanctuary located at Mount Juktas to the south.

Mysteries and destructions

Despite the fact that the palace was excavated a century ago there are still many questions that researchers have about the palace and the people who lived in it.

For instance, the chronology of the palace is a matter of scholarly debate. Construction of the palace appears to have begun around 1950 B.C., although there may have been structures predating it. This "first palace" (as it is sometimes called) was damaged (likely by earthquakes) around 1700 B.C. and a second palace was built on top of it. Recently, however, scholars have called into question how extensively this "first palace" was damaged, write researchers Colin Macdonald and Carl Knappett in a chapter of the book " Intermezzo: Intermediacy and Regeneration in Middle Minoan III Palatial Crete" (British School at Athens, 2013). The papers published in their book raise the possibility that rather than a "first" and "second" palace, there were several phases of renovation and change that occurred over a period of centuries.

(Image credit: CIA World Factbook)

The actual name of the people who lived in the palace is unknown. The Minoan writing system is undeciphered and the name "Minoans" comes from Arthur Evans, who believed that he had found the palace of "King Minos," a mythical Cretan king who supposedly constructed a great labyrinth on Crete. Today, archaeologists know that King Minos likely did not build this palace.

Researchers do know that the palace suffered from several disasters throughout its history. The palace likely suffered disruption around 1600 B.C., when the eruption of a volcano on Thera caused a tsunami that hit parts of Crete. The palace was hit with another catastrophe (of some form) around 1450 B.C., when sites across Crete were destroyed and a people who modern-day scholars call the "Mycenaeans" occupied Knossos. The final destruction of the palace probably took place sometime before 1300 B.C.

The first palace

Although the remains of the "first palace" mostly lie under later palace renovations, archaeologists have been able to put together a rough picture of what it looked like in antiquity.

The first palace was built around a central court and contained numerous storage areas, including magazines to the west and northeast. On the northwest side of the central court was a room that researchers refer to as the "early keep" and near that another section referred to as the "initiatory area."

The initiatory area contains a "lustral basin," which consists of a square tank, sunk into the ground, with a staircase descending on two sides, writes Arnold Lawrence and Richard Tomlinson in their book " Greek Architecture" (Yale University Press, 1996). They note that several of these basins were built in the palace. "For lack of any better explanation, the original use is assumed to be religious, in connection with some ritual of anointing, but there would have been no drawback to using the basin as a shower-bath provided the water was mopped up quickly."

The walls of the first palace were bulkier than those built later on. "On the whole, the structure of the earlier Palace was bulkier, more massive, than that of the later Palace in general layout and in individual details," writes researcher John McEnroe in his book " Architecture of Minoan Crete" (University of Texas Press, 2010). He notes that the column bases and pavement were made of stones of different colors.

The development of the palace coincided with the appearance of the still undeciphered Minoan writing system.

Also in this early period the different regions of Crete maintained their own distinct style of pottery and material culture, an indication that the island was not unified.

Later construction

The "first palace" likely suffered some level of damage, probably from earthquakes, around 1700 B.C. and underwent a series of renovations that produced what some researchers call the "second palace."

"In the second palace, much of the monumental bulk of the earlier building would be lightened through structural innovations and intricate details, and the taste for colored stone would be partly replaced by representational wall paintings," writes McEnroe.

Again, a good portion of the palace was used for storage, including a western section dedicated to weapons. In this period, the pottery styles and material culture of Knossos would be used across the island, indicating that people acknowledged the hegemony, or at least influence, of the site.

The palace in this period contained four entrances, one from each direction, and a royal road running to the north of the palace. McEnroe notes that the entranceway to the south offered a particularly grand arrival, leading the visitor through a narrow corridor lined with a fresco depicting a procession. Their final destination would have been the central court, which may have been used for religious ceremonies. "After the narrow confines of the twisting, dark corridor, the broad, brilliant Central Court offered sudden expansion and release," writes McEnroe.

Indeed, it's an entranceway not dissimilar to that of a labyrinth, a key idea in Greek literature (found in stories like "Theseus and the Minotaur") and something that was on Arthur Evans' mind when he interpreted the site. He thought he had uncovered the palace of the mythical Crete King Minos, who in legend kept a Minotaur in a labyrinth, demanding that the city of Athens feed it young men and women.

This central courtyard provided access to several areas, including a throne room, a central palace sanctuary and a residential quarter, which may have housed royal apartments. The palace's "throne room," as Evans called it, has gypsum benches on three sides, a basin in the center and a large chair that Evans interpreted as a throne. This "throne" is flanked by a reconstructed fresco of a griffin. Whether an actual king or queen sat in the throne room is a matter of debate among archaeologists.

To the south of the throne room is an area that researchers refer to as the Central Palace Sanctuary. McEnroe notes that a small tripartite shrine was reconstructed by Evans and behind it is an area that many scholars see "as the religious heart of the Palace," containing the temple repositories. They were "found filled with pottery and a range of remarkable objects such as the famous faience [ceramic] Snake Goddesses now in the Herakleion Museum."

On the southeast side of the central court is an area referred to as the residential quarter. Entered through what is sometimes called the "grand staircase," its rooms may have served as royal apartments, used for living by the palace's rulers.

It contains a "hall of the colonnades" encircling a light-well. To the south is an area known as the "Hall of the Double Axes," which "takes its name from the Double Axe Mason's Mark signs carved on the limestone ashlar wall blocks," British School at Athens researchers write on a virtual tour of Knossos which is located on their website. McEnroe notes that this hall received light from three directions and had partitions, allowing the palace inhabitants to determine how much light got in at any one time.

Another key feature in the residential quarters is an area that Evans called the "queen's megaron." It features a reconstructed fresco depicting blue dolphins swimming above a doorway. McEnroe notes that it has two light wells along with partitions. Its features include a possible bath, storage areas and toilet. "My guess is that it served as a bedroom," he writes. While there may have been some disruption at Knossos associated with the eruption of Thera around 1600 B.C., an eruption that caused a tsunami that hit parts of Crete, it did not bring about the end of the palace - that occurred a few centuries later.

(Image credit: http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-73407p1.html">Karel Gallas Shutterstock)

The end of Knossos

Around 1450 B.C., a cataclysm hit Crete. Fitton notes that all the palaces on the island, with the exception of Knossos, were destroyed. What exactly happened is a matter of debate. One idea is that a series of natural calamities, such as earthquakes, hit the island. Another idea is that Crete was invaded by a people called the Mycenaeans, whom researchers know came to occupy Knossos. The Mycenaeans were a Greek-speaking people who apparently moved to Crete from the mainland. They wrote in a language we call "linear B," and thousands of inscribed clay tablets bearing the script, and baked from fire, have been found at Knossos.

"Several parts of the Palace, mostly on the upper story, were involved in administrative record keeping," writes McEnroe, adding that they indicate that Knossos was a center of economic activity on the island at this time.

Recent research into these tablets provide clues into the lives of women who lived in Mycenaean-controlled Knossos. For instance the tablets show that "Knossian women were attested to as owning their own land, and were recorded in ways completely analogous [comparable] with male land holders," writes Barbara Olsen, a professor at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, in her book " Women in Mycenaean Greece, the Linear B tablets from Pylos and Knossos" (Routledge, 2014).

"Moreover, land was not the only property held by women in Mycenaean-era Knossos. Various women were also attested as having massive amounts of food-stuffs, slaves, raw and finished textile products, and luxury goods such as gold and bronze vessels," wrote Olsen in her book.

McEnroe also notes that the Mycenaeans embarked on a program to rebuild parts of the palace and create new frescoes. Compared to the earlier frescoes the range of motifs "is remarkably narrow," he writes. "There are no fanciful nature scenes with exotic animals or scenes of fashionable women joyously participating in outdoor ceremonies. Instead the fresco program was stripped down to a few bare essentials. Bulls, tribute-bearing processions, heraldic devices and decorative friezes form of the bulk [of the decorations]," he writes.

Knossos appears to have been destroyed sometime before 1300 B.C., apparently by fire. The Mycenaeans would see their civilization collapse around 1200 B.C. as a series of population migrations, possibly spurred by environmental problems, swept across Europe and the Near East. In the period after this collapse the people of Crete took to the hills, living in elevated settlements in hopes of surviving the calamity that had befallen the ancient world.

Controversial restoration

The restoration work that Evans did a century ago was extensive and controversial. Some archaeologists believe that he imagined some details in his restoration work that were not present in ancient times. Also some of the techniques he used caused damage to the palace which conservators are still trying to undo.

For instance "an exceptional feature of the architecture of Minoan palaces of Knossos, Crete, is the unique light reflected from the surfaces. This is attributed to the extensive use of mineral gypsum (selenite), originating from a local quarry," writes a team of conservators in a paper published in a supplement to the journal Studies in Conservation.

Evans, however, used cement in his restoration work, covering the selenite walls with it, a restoration technique that removed the light reflection and poses risk of further damage.

"The extensive use of this unconventional restoration material compromises the appearance of the monuments at Knossos, while it endangers the longevity of the selenite surfaces mainly due to the different mechanical properties," wrote the conservators in their paper. Recently, laser cleaning was used to help remove this cement, a technique that scientists hope will restore some of the palace's lost light.

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(Image credit: Andrei Nekrassov | Shutterstock ) The Palace of Knossos is located just south of modern-day Heraklion near the north coast of Crete. Built by a civilization that we call the Minoans, it covers about 150,000 square feet (14,000 square meters), the size of more than two football fields, and was surrounded by a town in antiquity.

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Ancient Athenian Temple!

(Is also a major tourist destination!)

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Lovely white buildings, a "party island", very popular tourist spot

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To call Mykonos a 'gay island' is like calling San Francisco a 'gay city'. Sure there are gay bars and homosexuality is not hidden, but unless you are looking for it you may not even notice it because Mykonos is a destination for all types of people. From jet setters to college students and families, Mykonos is Greece's most well known and popular island and the people you see are from all walks of life, from every country, and sexual preference. Even priests come to Mykonos for their holiday.

My experience with Mykonos began in the early seventies when I was a wild high school student and 1000 drachma (around $30 back then) would last me two weeks sleeping on Paradise beach or in the caves on the peninsulas that create the beautiful sheltered beaches the island is known for. At the time there was one restaurant on Paradise Beach, called George's. There were no rooms and most of use could not even be bothered to put up a tent. The only way to get to Paradise was by taking the bus to Platyialos and walking a couple miles down the coast. There were rooms to rent in Platyialos but nothing else beyond besides a couple tavernas.

Times have changed and a thousand drachma now will barely buy you a souvlaki if you can find one. (Souvlakis you can find. Drachmas are gone, at least for the time being). Mykonos town in the twenty or more years since I spent my last teenage summer there, has changed dramatically with clubs, bars, boutiques, internationally known restaurants of various ethnic styles and so many visitors that a summer night in town is like Fat Tuesday in New Orleans. Mykonos is not cheap. But if you are on vacation, with money to burn and willing to pull out all the stops the nightlife compares favorably to any major city or party town in the world. The discos stay open till dawn and there is no nicer place to nurse a slight hangover then in an umbrella shaded beach chair a few feet from the sea where one can slowly build up his strength to face the next evening's festivities.

Mykonos is the cross-roads of the hip universe. Everybody goes there, from Keith Richards laying on his back floating in the sea with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, to your favorite TV or movie star and their entourage, moving from club to club in search of action. Famous politicians, designers, newscasters, basketball players and coaches, kings, queens and commoners all make Mykonos their first choice in holiday destination.

Getting to Mykonos

Mykonos is one of the most easy Greek islands to get to. There are many flights a day from Athens and more ferries from Pireaus or Rafina, then to any other island. The ferry boat ride is about 5 hours on a slow boat and under 3 hours on a high-speed. The ferry stops either in Andros, Tinos and Syros or any combination of the three and these are the easiest islands to include with a Mykonos itinerary. There are now highspeed boats from Rafina that can get you to Mykonos in about two hours. But any boat stopping in Tinos a few days before the 15th of August if you are going to Mykonos, and after the 15th when you return is likely to be packed. This is because thousands of Pilgrims go to the Holy Icon in Tinos for the Panagiri (Orthodox Saint Day for the Virgin Mary) and unless you have a ferry ticket in advance you probably won't get on and if you do you will wish you hadn't as it can be very crowded and uncomfortable. There are also summer connections to Mykonos from Crete, Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Ios and couple more of the other Cyclades islands so if you find yourself in a position where you have to travel on these days, ask your travel agent for help with another route or fly. Because the nearby island of Syros is the capital of the Cyclades it has ferry connections to the other islands. But these boats run a different schedule every day so you can't always book hotels on islands and expect to be able to get between them. I recommend Fantasy Travel's Island Hopping Page where you can combine Mykonos with a number of other islands.

Booking Hotels in Mykonos

I recommend booking a room before you come to Mykonos. It is possible to find rooms on your own when you arrive in most circumstances though more difficult in June and September and almost impossible in July and August, particularly during the August 15 holiday. By booking a room in advance you will have more choice of where you are and what kind of place you stay in. Plus it's a nice feeling to know you have something waiting for you when you get off the boat, rather then having to walk around trying to find something and then settling on anything because you are tired of looking. Like many islands there will be people at the boat waving pictures of their rooms and if not there is a tourist information office (or there was) but this is usually hit or miss and often these are professionals who are paid per head when they bring a customer to the hotel.

or who can probably get you discounted rates too or who not only have cheap rates but can also find rooms when everyone tells you there are none available. By contacting one of these agencies, you will be working with someone familiar with the territory and you can tell them what are your needs and how much you are able to pay. Plus they can assist you with the ferries which is very useful especially if you are going to more than one island. I recommend either staying in town at the If you use my Book your accommodations with a reliable travel agency like Aegean Thesaurus Fantasy Travel Hotel Adonis if it is available or if you want to be on the beach and come to town at night for nightlife then the Create-an-itinerary form you can put together a custom program which includes Mykonos and any other islands you like, get it tweaked with the help of a reliable travel agency and get a price for it. It's free and it is really helpful in putting together a trip. For more about hotels and some recommended hotels see the Mykonos Hotels Page. You can also find and book hotels through Booking.com's Mykonos Hotel Search and Matt's Hotels of Greece Mykonos Page and in many cases book without a cancellation fee. However, keep in mind that this summer both Mykonos and Santorini are on just about everyone's travel itinerary and as the season progresses it will be harder and harder to find a room. So if you find something you like book it now. And if you can't find what you like or everything appears booked solid try Fantasy Travel. Princess of Mykonos at Agios Stefanos which is less of a party beach than most of the others. Dolphin Hellas

Mykonos Town

The town of Mykonos is one of the best examples of Cycladic architecture and is a maze of streets and alleys so that you never know where you will end up. But along the way you will see things that may surprise you, from a branch of your favorite boutique that you assumed only existed in Manhattan or Paris, to expensive restaurants owned by famous international chefs, traditional churches, famous jewelry shops, Greek tavernas, fast food joints and a pelican named Peter who would be in his mid sixties had he not been replaced so often. It is quite easy to get lost here but chances are you will find your way out before morning. My favorite shops, which are incidentally the two most practical are the Fruit Center, which of course sells fruit and the International Press Center where you will probably be able to find your favorite newspaper, magazine or book, no matter where you come from. Coming from Kea where the only newspapers you can find are in Greek or Albanian this was like finding paradise. Check out the Gallery of Yiannis Galati, one of Greece's most famous designer-artists and a lover of the island. Thousands of celebrities have visited his little shop. Across the street at Lalaounis jewelry museum they give away the best maps of the island and in the evenings have a wine tasting. The best place for people watching is in the cafes on the waterfront and this is where most people go for breakfast and coffee. Much of the action at sunset is below the windmills in the area known as Little Venice where there are some upscale restaurants and bars and a nice view of the sunset.

Visiting Delos

The nearby Island of Delos is uninhabited but is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece and even the most hedonistic of the Mykonos party-goers finds time to visit the island at least once every few years. It was once a thriving port and commercial center said to be the birthplace of Apollo, and the Delian games were held here. The ruins of the city are quite extensive and well worth a visit, especially in the spring when wildflowers are in bloom. There are numerous taxi boats and tours to the island are advertised in the port of Mykonos. You may have to get up early one morning but the half hour boat ride is an adventure you will enjoy if you have not had too much to drink the night before and don't get seasick easily since it can be a little rough when the wind is blowing. There are tour guides you can hire at the entrance which will make it more interesting depending on how you are feeling. You may just want to wander around and take in as much as you can without having everything explained to you. But few people are unimpressed with Delos, unless they are really hungover, in which case save it for another day. See my Delos Page

Mykonos Beaches

The best beaches are found by taking the bus to Platyialos, which is more of a family beach, with rooms to rent, restaurants, beach umbrellas, and the small boats that can take you to the other beaches. The first beach you will come to is Agia Ana (and most likely pass without stopping), which is usually quiet and still relatively undeveloped. The next stop is Paraga and then the famous Paradise Beach where there is a campsite, music, water sports and a restaurant or two and several hotels. The next beach is Super Paradise which was a gay nudist beach at one time but has expanded its appeal since they built a road to it. The last beach is Elia which was also a nudist beach and now has a couple luxury hotels. You can now drive or take buses to all of these beaches. There are other beaches scattered around the island but these are the most well known and among the best in Greece. Along with Ornos, Kalo Livadi and Agia Anna these beaches face the south which means they are generally shielded from the Meltemi, the strong northern winds that blow in July and August. The popular beaches have beach bars with music, umbrellas and beach beds and during the summer the kind of events you might associate with Daytona Beach during spring break.

, If you are looking for a quiet place to be on your own, well you probably should not have come to Mykonos in the first place. But if you don't mind swimming off the rocks you can find a comfortable place to park yourself and find some degree of solitude on the edges of just about any of these beaches. Any beach that has bus service will probably have crowds. If you rent a car or motorbike, beaches like Ftelia Panormos-Agios Sostis, Fokos, Mersini, and Kapari and are quiet beaches. Those that face the north are popular with wind-surfers. I like Agios Stefanos which is north of Mykonos town, though it faces south. It is small and unpretentious, and has a couple hotels including the Princess of Mykonos and a nice little fish taverna overlooking the sea called Taverna Vasoula. There are a couple beaches in town including one that is right in the harbor which is OK as far as swimming in harbors go though you probably would not want to spend every day there. But if you want somewhere to send your kids while you sit in a cafe in the port and drink coffee this will probably do. Also within easy walking distance to town is Megali Ammos which is OK when the wind is not blowing from the north. See also my Mykonos Beaches Page

Fantasy Travel's Mykonos Programs

, though there are plenty of families that come here and have a wonderful time and you can find budget hotels and food. But if you are young, have money to spare and want to have a wild time, meet new people and possibly have sex with them, you will love Mykonos. Regardless of what your motives are, If you are coming to Greece on a budget vacation your money will go a lot further on other less popular islands then it will on Mykonos. If you are traveling with your children you may want a more traditional island that is a bit more family oriented like Lesvos , Sifnos or Naxos Fantasy Travel has put together a number of packages that offer quality accommodation for economical prices like their Pursuit of Pleasure which is 12 Days and 11 nights in Athens, Mykonos and Santorini including hotels, ferries, transfers, tours, admission to archaeological sites and breakfast starting at 940 euros per person or their Budget Mykonos-Santorini Program. For those who want to have their cake and eat it too Fantasy's Smart 7 Program includes 3 days in Mykonos followed by a 4 Day Cruise and ends with another 3 days in Santorini. For these and other inexpensive programs that include Mykonos visit Fantasy Travel's Special Offers Page

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Helpful review of the Greek island of Mykonos, Greece's most famous and popular island with information on beaches, hotels, travel agents, shopping and island-hopping