The Minoan's: The Palace Of Knossos

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The Palace of Knossos Discovered by the Minoan’s, the Palace of Knossos intrigued me due to the construction and details of this particular structure. The palace of Knossos is interesting because it served as many things but most of all it served as a place of religious worship, and although the language of the Minoan’s has still not been determined by modern day scientists, paintings, frescos, statues and many other arts found in the palace tell a story leading us to believe the Minoan’s were religious, artistic and wealthy people. Although it was once destroyed and rebuilt, the Palace of Knossos stood several stories tall and amounted to several acres in landmass, making the palace quite large. “Rectangular and circular columns, employed…show more content…
These palaces or temples also house many priests and families and also included several storage rooms. The floor plan of the Palace of Knossos included four entrances known as wings, each leading to the central court. Housing many cultural activities, one of the most common activities of the central court was known as bull jumping, “it had 60+ rooms, including the center court where men would jump over bulls” ("Minoans"). The bull was thought to represent male fertility as the head and horns represented the female vulva or sometimes the bull acted as a sacrificial figure. Bull jumping is also thought to show signs of men and women as an equal social status because women were also believed to have participated in the jumping of the bulls depicted by the art found in the remains of the palace, “the statues of priestesses in Minoan culture and frescoes showing men and women participating in the same sports such as bull-leaping, lead some archaeologists to believe that men and women held equal social status” ("Minoans, Mycenaeans and Mythology"). Of the four wings, the west wing was thought to be of most importance in the Minoan religious practices consisting of a stone-built altar topped with bull’s horns, representing the sacrificial bulls, “…It depicts such an altar made of ashlar masonry and topped by a set of sacral horns. The setting is outdoors in what appears to be an open area… in the foreground there are…show more content…
One of the frescoes found in a light-well, depicts a woman with long, wavy tresses. The way the hair of the woman hangs rather than lying on her shoulders lead Evans to believe that this woman was dancing, but other researchers believed that maybe it was a scene of the woman descending from heaven, something that is often seen on certain seals. It was also believed that this piece of art was once part of a pillar. Other frescoes found on walls and floors in the palace, gave us knowledge of the love of the sea and nature the Minoan’s had, as well as give us insight to how the Minoan’s practiced their religion and funerals, “magnificent frescoes from the walls and floors of the palaces also reveal the Minoans’ love of the sea and nature and give insights into religious, communal and funeral practices” (Minoan
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