I hope to contact the British School archaeologists working at Knossos while I’m staying in Iraklion next week, but in the meantime, I’ve decided to enjoy the iconic site as a tourist. I’ve visited several times over the years, marveling equally at the romance of the finds–deemed the improbable, mythical “Minotaur’s labyrinth” by its most famous excavator Sir Arthur Evans in the early 20th century–and extent of their reconstruction in reinforced concrete. While structured pathways give the site a sterile feel, the layout and architecture are ever impressive. Not only was the complex fitted with running water and flushing toilets, the doors were designed to slide into the walls of each room, opening up spaces and filling them with light, or closing them off to darken them, as needed.

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Since ancient times, Crete has been an area of seismic activity. After an earthquake ravaged Knossos once, the buildings were brilliantly reconstructed to withstand another such disaster. The areas today framed by reinforced concrete--doorways and windows--were originally made from wood to withstand the shock.

This entry was posted by Eti Bonn-Muller on Wednesday, July 22, 2009. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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