Images

The largely restored Queen's Megaron of the Palace of Knossos, Crete. The room was adorned with frescoes which today are preserved as copies in their original position. The most striking is the fresco of the Dolphins which decorated the upper...

The Grand Staircase was the largest staircase in the Palace of Knossos (Crete) and has been described as one of the masterpieces of Minoan architecture. It consisted of two flights of stairs repeated on each floor and framed by a colonnade...

A map indicating the general direction and timings of the spread of Islam in Africa from the 7th to 18th century CE

The Snake Goddess is a faience figurine depicting a woman holding a snake in each hand. It was found in the main sanctuary of the Palace of Knossos in Crete and dates back to around 1650-1550 BCE. Heraklion Archaeological Museum.

The Throne Room at the Palace of Knossos in Crete was a chamber built for sacred ceremonials during the 15th century BCE and was part of a larger complex that also included an anteroom and an inner chamber. The throne, made of alabaster and...

These are four of the 150 giant pithoi (storage jars) found in the West Magazines (storage rooms) of the Palace of Knossos. The jars once held oil and wine and dry materials such as grain. The capacity of the storerooms was about 80,000 litres...

View of the restored part of the South Propylon at Knossos (Crete), decorated with copies of parts of the Procession Fresco. This Propylon formed the south entrance to the palace. The pairs of columns with their corresponding parapets supported...

View of the partially reconstructed and elevated colonnaded West Bastion of the North Entrance of the Palace of Knossos on the island of Crete. Adorning its inner wall is a copy of the Charging Bull relief fresco. c. 1500 BCE.

Bull’s head rhyton from the palace at Knossos in Crete. The carving, from a single block of black steatite, is remarkable for it was worked with great precision to render the natural features of the real animal. The eyes are inlaid with rock...

Madeline Miller, author of Circe Photo by Nina Subin