Knossos

Knossos or Knosós, ancient city of Crete (Kríti), on the north side of the island, some 5 km (some 3 mi) from the coast, near the modern city of Iráklion. In the 2nd millennium bc Knossos was a center of the highly developed Aegean civilization of the Bronze Age. The city is frequently mentioned in Greek mythology; the Dictaean cave, legendary home of the infant Greek god Zeus, is nearby, and the labyrinth, home of the monster known as the Minotaur, is within the palace of King Minos. The prehistoric culture of Crete is known as Minoan, from Minos, the name of several legendary kings of Knossos.

The city was founded before 3000 bc. After about 1000 bc it was dominated by the Dorians and about the 3rd century bc it became a Roman colony. In modern times the city has been the site of extensive archaeological investigations, the first of which were made about 1900 by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans. Evans excavated the royal palace, the greatest of a series of magnificent buildings. Knossos's decline dates from the destruction of the palace shortly after 1400 bc.