Knossos All Images from Google Search Ancient Greece Week 2

Sir Arthur Evans  Journalist that traveled and became very interested in classical antiquities.  Archaeologist who found small seals throughout the Greek islands especially on Crete  Came across a vast ruin in 1894 that he called the Palace of Knossos  Museum Curator for Ashmolean Museum in Oxford

Palace of Knossos

How Old is Knossos?  Sir Arthur Evans found Egyptian Seals at Knossos.  With further evidence it was estimated that the palace was built from 2000 – 1600 BC

The Approach  Knossos was located on the top of a gentle sloping hill.  The walls were topped with these huge bull’s horns.  There was a fresh stream that ran by the palace from the mountains.  The stream lead directly to the harbor.

Buildings There were kitchens, baths, a throne room, queen’s rooms, and artisan workshops. The works shops included pottery, carving, painting and so much more. The palace even had huge storage rooms.

Pottery Pottery work was necessary for the storage of food, drink, and oil. The pots found at Knossos were so large that they had many handles for them to be carried by up to 4 men. Entire rooms were dedicated to the storage of these huge jars.

Secco Vs. Fresco  Secco  Means dry in Italian  Paint was mixed with a medium such as egg, glue or oil.  It was painted onto the dry wall surface  Fresco  Means fresh in Italian  Pigment was mixed with wet plaster  It was literally part of the wall Why is this important to know? Why does it matter?

Queen’s Rooms

Throne Room

Could this be the King?

What can we learn from the Frescos?  Foods  Celebrations  Beliefs  What was beautiful  Clothing worn  Myths

Book List for Additional Reading  Read Theseus and the Minotaur Favorite Greek Myths (Dover Children’s Thrift Classics) by Bob Blaisdell. The myth can be found online, in D’Aulaires or MacMillan, or at the library in hundreds of books My favorite so far starts on Page 162 of The Treasury of Greek Mythology by Donna Jo Napoli  In Search of Knossos, the Quest for the minotaur’s labyrinth by Giovanni Caselli  The Golden Fleece and the Heroes who lived before Achilles by Padriac Colum

Create a Plaster Fresco 1. Paint directly onto the wet plaster of Paris 2. Paint a scene or copy from Knossos 3. Let dry completely 4. Show a grown up what you learned

Assignments Week 2  Biography Card Sir Arthur Evans  Weather and Climate Report on Ancient Greece  Create a “Theseus and the Minotaur” graphic story sequence.