- Location: Crete, Greece. - Existed: during the time of the Minoan Civilization, and during the Bronze Age (roughly 3000BC – 1100BC). - Size: took up about five and a half acres of land, and housed the King of the Minoan State and his advisors, trade goods and craftspeople. - Basic structure: contained a court yard, numerous rooms and corridors, a throne room, baths, enormous storerooms, craft workshops, chambers and a plumbing system..

Due to early Phoenician settlement in Crete at the time, the Minoans had constructed three grand palaces: Knossos, Kato Sakro and Mallia. The Palace of Knossos was the most exquisite and grand of them all.

How was the site discovered? The city of Knossos was first discovered in 1878 by Minos Kakairinos. The discovery of the actual palace was in 1984, by Sir Arthur Evans. Evans had purchased the entire site of Knossos in March 1990, then carried out enormous excavations which led him to his discoveries. Evans was assisted by expert archaeologists in his excavation processes. At the start of the excavations in 1990, Evans discovered remains to walls that were close to the surface, and after a few weeks he found the remains of buildings ranging across an area of 8480 square feet.

What was found and what was its significance? A young Minoan man

The problems of sources in reconstructing the past? Original remains of the Palace of Knossos

The palace AFTER Evan’s reconstructions

Issues relating to the ownership and custodianship of the past The palace is part of National Greek Heritage, and Greece’s community heritage. It has been there for thousands of years and is Greece’s property.

However, it is also legally owned by Evans, as he purchased the site and conducted the large-scale excavations and reconstructions. Today it should still be considered Greece’s property, as Greece responsible for its preservation and tourist exhibitions.