Day Trip Knossos & The Archaelogical Museum
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You have never been to Knossos? You have never heard of Knossos? The Knossos Palace is a must; it is Crete’s most famous Minoan Palace. Knossos is situated only a few minutes from Heraklion, the capital city of Crete. Wherever your holiday destination is, Knossos is accessible from the coastal highway. After passing Heraklion on the eastern side, you will see the signs to Knossos.  
The rich finds from the Minoan civilisation are in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum and you will see original frescoes from Knossos, jewellery and artwork here. Knossos is the largest of the preserved Minoan palatial centres. The site has had a very long history of human habitation, beginning with the founding of the first settlement circa 7000 B.C. The site consists of four palaces. The oldest palace, The Little Palace, dates from 2000-1350 B.C. The Little Palace, with the double megaron, a pristyle hall and scraped wall masonry dated to the 17 th-15th centuries B.C. (to the west of the main palace).  
The Royal Villa distinguished by the double staircase, with two flights of stairs and the pillar crypt, dates from the 14th century B.C. and lies to the NE of the palace. The Royal Villa may have been the residence of an aristocrat or a high priest. The third is the House of the Frescoes. It is located to the NW of the palace and is a small urban mansion with rich decoration on the walls. Dates from the 15th, 14th-12th centuries B.C. The fourth is the Unexplored Mansion. Probably a private building of private-industrial function and lies to the NW of the main palace. It is rectangular, with a central, four-pillared hall, corridors, storerooms and the remains of a staircase. Dates from the 12th to 14th centuries B.C.  
Knossos was discovered in 1878 by Minos Kalokairinos, a Cretan merchant and antiquarian. The English archaeologist Arthur Evans was able to purchase the entire site and conduct the main excavations in 1900.  
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