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Knossos Palace

Not a whole lot is known about Knossos Palace. Other than it is where the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur was said to take place. It’s also considered as Europes oldest city with inhabitants dating back as far as 7000 BC! The city thrived until the eruption of Thira in 1652 BC. Which was the major cause of the destruction of the Knossos Palace. However there was activity at the palace until the end of the Minoan civilization in 1200 BCE. Expect to see giant ancient pottery and beautiful frescoes here. Knossos Palace is a large site but it’s all easily accessible.

Myths of Knossos

King Minos hired Athenian architect Daedalus to design Knossos palace and the labyrinth. In an attempt to keep Daedalus from telling anyone about how to get out of the labyrinth. Minos locked Daedalus and his son Icarus in a tower. Daedalus made wings for him and his son out of wax and feathers. However Icarus got excited with his new wings and flew to high in the sky. Because of this, the sun melted the wax and Icarus fell to his death.

Legend of THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR:

Minos the king of Crete was in a competition with his brothers to become ruler of the island. He prayed to Poseidon for a white bull because it would represent the word of god.  Since no one could contradict the word of a god, Minos would be made king.   In return Minos was supposed to sacrifice the bull to the gods. Only problem is, he got attached to the bull and couldn’t sacrifice him. So instead he sacrificed one of his own bulls, hoping that Poseidon would not notice. Ultimately this enraged Poseidon so in return he made Minos’s wife Pasiphae fall in love with the bull.

Then the story gets a little twisted. Eventually, Pasiphae had a craftsman build a wooden cow so that she could go inside it to mate with the bull. After-which she gave birth to a half man half bull child. Then when the child grew older he grew more ferocious and started devouring humans. Eventually Minos was unable to contain the beast. So the Oracle at Delphi instructed Minos to build a labyrinth to contain the beast.

What did they do with the Minotaur?

Afterwards, Minos’s only son went to Athens to participate in the Athenian games. Unfortunately he was killed during the Athenian games. It is believed that he was killed because he was too good. When Minos learned that his only son was dead, he waged war on Athens. Athens finally gave in to the demands of king Minos. As punishment for the death of his only son, every year Athens would send seven boys and seven girls to the labyrinth as offerings to the Minotaur.

During the third year, Theseus volunteered to go kill the Minotaur. Fortunately, he was given a ball of string to find his way back out of the labyrinth. Theseus found the Minotaur and fatally wounded him in the neck. Afterwards he followed the string and made his way back out of the labyrinth.

Easiest Way To Visit Knossos Palace

By far, the easiest way to visit Knossos is with a tour because you will get to skip the incredibly long line to get into the site.  The tour guide will already have your tickets ready when you arrive on site.  Therefore, you will get in much faster.  Another thing to keep in mind is that parking at Knossos is difficult.  It’s much easier if you let someone else do the driving.  They drive a little crazy in Greece but it works.

If you prefer not taking a tour, I suggest taking a taxi to get there. It’s a whole lot easier than taking the bus

It gets very hot in Greece in the summer and there is barely any shade on this site. With this in mind, be sure to wear good walking shoes, a sun hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, comfortable clothes. Bring lots of water, in bottles or a good hydration pack and a camera.

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