Essay about The Palace of Knossos

Odysseus’s love for Penelope has not been changed even though he spends almost eight years with goddesses. When Odysseus meet his mother in the House of Death, he asks her about his family and royal rights. His shows the values of kingship for him as he says, “do my royal rights still lie in their safekeeping?” (XI.269). So let’s look to the feeling of kingship that is internalized within him due to a period of hardship.

One may ask, who are the Minoans? Well they are considered by many Historians and Archeologists to be the first great European Civilization. Some people believed that this was the mythical land of Atlantis. They were located near the Aegean Sea and lands such as Greece, Troy and Asia Minor. One interesting fact is that these people never called themselves the Minoans. There wasn’t any name listed in the history books for these people but the Ancient Crete Civilization. They were known as the Crete Civilization because they lived on the island of Crete which is now part of Greece. It wasn’t until a 19th century British Archeologist, Sir Author Evans gave them the name, The Minoans. He gave them this name because he believed he had found the legendary palace of King Minos. There has been many civilization collapses over the World’s history, but most can be explained in great detail. There are some that are very mysterious and not definitively explained. The collapse of the Minoan people happens to be one of those mysterious collapses which ranks 3rd in the top ten most mysterious collapses of the world and is still to this day debated on what actually caused their demise. There are many factors that go into the collapse of a civilization, but this kind of catastrophe doesn’t just happen in a blink of an eye this is something that happens over a long period of time. This paper will touch on the climate and environment, the time period and culture, how they became

For as long as humans have existed, they have always found some way to entertain themselves. Even the earliest societies have left evidence of some sort of activity or hobby that they used as a form of entertainment. Perhaps the most famous building that was used as a form of entertainment is the Roman Colosseum, also known as the Flavian amphitheater. In ancient Rome, the most popular form of entertainment was the gladiator fights. These fights, usually among animals and trained public fighters, were staged in open arenas in a city's forum. There is evidence

(Bright, Hilda, and Helen Pocock.) The Minoans were the first advanced society in Europe 's history. The Minoans were found throughout mainland Greece and throughout the Mediterranean Sea and the island of Crete. Around the year 6500 the Cretans were documented in hunting, fishing, and engaged in pagan worship. In the year 3000 B.C. and the years following, immigrants from Northern Africa came to Crete. They were skilled in Bronze making. This would soon lead to the Bronze Age and the Greek empire would grow and become more powerful. In the years after 2000 B.C. is when most of the palaces and the other artifacts that are still visible today were made. (Kyriakopoulos, Victoria. pg. 23-24)

The Minoans were highly revered for their pottery, the linear patterns showings spirals and shapes. Thanks to the newly introduced potters’ wheel. Minoan Kamares were elegantly decorated. It is important to know who the Minoans are as they are one of first established European cultures.

     The ancient Greek and Roman civilizations of Europe began to progress toward a more civilized order of society. As there were no previous establishment to base their ideals on, it was understandable that there were some difficulties in their progression as a society. Although the ancient Greek and Roman governments fell, both had similar paths of creation, conquest, and destruction.

The Minoan civilisation originated on the eastern Mediterranean island of Crete and was named by Sir Arthur Evans (1851-1941) after King Minos. The society saw the gradual development of a culture that was rich in artistic and technological achievement and whose influence reached far across the Mediterranean. The relationship between Thera and Minoan civilisation was shown through the similarities of their architecture, pottery, writings, frescoes, religion and

When looking at the architectural plans of the palace there appears to be no logical order to its arrangement. With no central axis, the rooms seem as if they were placed in random spots making the navigation of the palace confusing. The maze-like design of the complex (Fig. 7) lead Evans to think the palace complex was the labyrinth. When examining the ground floor of the palace, Evans discovered a meander pattern decorating the floor. The pattern only ran in one direction, towards the center of the palace. The center was an open courtyard where the ritual sport of bull leaping most likely took place. The myth states that the battle of Theseus and the Minotaur took place in the center of the Labyrinth, making a connection the central court of Minos’ palace. “The labyrinth, whose linear form is the meander [pattern], represents a difficult passage; it was confusing [and] hard to follow… but eventually lead back to the

Greek and Roman architecture is truly amazing. They each had great ideas, and fabulous productions. It is said that the Pantheon is to Italy what the Parthenon is to Greece. Both are tremendous monuments that reek of culture and history. Each had a purpose which was displayed by the design and construction of each. There are such great meanings behind each of these architecural structures. The Romans and the Greeks alike worshipped and dedicated their structures and designs to the Gods and Goddess they believed in.

What effect did the characteristics and achievements of the Minoan civilization and the Mycenaean civilization have on Archaic Greece? There are so many different achievements and characteristics that happened during these times for instance, they were familiar with the technologies of metal, and they could use bronze and iron to make different tools. There was also the formation of an Aegean Oecumene between the southern Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor. There seen the first traces of poleis formations, which was from the Minoan colonies. They also showed the first signs of writing. Ancestors of colossal architecture was also a great achievement, they could build beautiful palaces and temples quite easily.

In the book The Castle of Otranto the people of the castle are surrounded by unexplainable events. These events are in most cases damaging to one’s own mind. Those who are seen as great and loving are turn in to violent and unpredictable individuals. Those who were affected include the highest level of nobility, down as far as to the simple servant. While denial is shown by them there is no doubt that they have changed, and only in disastrous ways. Weather the person has good intentions or not they are changed and their intention becomes what they do. A corrupt power which cannot be stopped. People may try to help and form the person to their former self but in The Castle of Otranto this is not the case. When people react to unexplained

The great Minoan civilization of Crete formed around palaces such as those at Knossos, Phaestus, Ayia Triada, and Tyliossos. The extremely important Palace of Minos at Knossos gives us crucial evidence of a continuous architectural brilliance and highly developed artistic sense, bringing together all aspects of architectural style, art, and innovation during the Minoan period between 1700 BCE and 1580 BCE and continuing until the invasion of the Achaeans in the 12th century BCE (Britannica Encyclopedia). The most famous palace is the palace of Minos of Knossos which demonstrates a specific arrangement of blocks:

As a matter of fact, the Minoans were remarkable engineers, building complex structures like the palace at Knossos with dozens of rooms and corridors centered around a central courtyard, without protective walls. More importantly, the Minoans were known for their “wet” frescoes, the application of painting colored tints on the interior plastered walls of the palace. This type of Minoan fresco presents a three-dimensional effect, like elegant forms represented in an impressionistic manner. Painting under the time constraints of the drying plaster, allowed for inventiveness, freedom, and graceful lines, which was new to the art. More often than not, the paintings were tailored into a frame of geometric shapes. The frescoes showed how the Minoans viewed the world, their cultural beliefs, rituals, artistic beauty, elegance, physical gracefulness, and how they lived in harmony

The Colosseum was first built in 70-80 CE in Regio IV Templum Pacis, which is in Rome Italy today. Measuring some 620 by 513 feet, the Colosseum was the largest amphitheater in the Roman world. Unlike many earlier amphitheaters, which had been dug into hillsides to provide adequate support, the Colosseum was a freestanding structure made of stone and concrete. The Colosseum could seat up to 80 thousand people. The Colosseum was a gift to the Roman people from Emperor Vespasian.

The Roman Colosseum, a colossal amphitheater, was built in the first century under Flavian's rule. Many events such as gladiator games, beast fights, naval battles, and much more took place inside the huge elliptical arena. People of all ages and classes attended these well-known spectacles. The Colosseum is a huge Roman architectural achievement and the fact that it is still standing today only amplifies the importance of this structure. Hundred of thousands of people attended the ancient games, and even more continue to visit the arena today.