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Throne Room, Knossos

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168: 176: 29: 196:. On the other hand, archaeologists Helga Reusch and Friedriech Matz suggested that the throne room was a sanctuary of a female divinity and that a priestess who sat there was her impersonator. The stone benches around the walls suggest a sitting council or perhaps a court, while a sunken area, called by Evans a " 203:
According to various views, the throne itself may have actually had more religious than political significance, functioning in the re-enactment of epiphany rituals involving a High Priestess, as suggested by the iconography of griffins, palms, and altars in the wall-paintings. More recently, it has
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Initially, Evans believed that this area was designed to serve a religious purpose, while he claimed that this was the priest-king's seat and that the presence of the griffins confirmed that this king was somehow beyond mortal realms. He also identified the stone throne as the seat of the mythical
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benches. It was part of a larger suite that also included an anteroom and an inner chamber with a ledge that was possibly a chapel. The throne room was accessed from the anteroom through two double doors. According to Evans's estimates, a total of thirty people could be accommodated both in the
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script. At that time, the palace at Knossos seems to have been modified in a minor way in order to include features such as the throne room. Especially, the stylized paintings of heraldically opposed griffins were popular in later era Mycenaean wall painting but not seen before in Crete. For
200:", partially partitioned off at one side, was used for ritual bathing. In view of the civil and religious powers held by the king, there can be little argument against the notion that proceedings of an official character began with sacred ceremonials. 134:, during the first phase of his excavations in Knossos. It was found in the center of the palatial complex and west of the central court. This throne room is considered the oldest stone throne of the 216:
takeover circa after 1450 BC when political conditions in Crete were entirely different, as indicated by the concurrent appearance of elite tombs, individual burials and the presence of the
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period, since it was a latter addition to the palace that occurred during the last phase of occupation after 1450 BC.
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been suggested that the room was only used at dawn at certain times of the year for specific ceremonies.
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Various archaeologists claim that the room and its furniture most likely date to the time of the
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instance, similar wall decoration was also found in the throne room of the Mycenaean palace of
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built for ceremonial purposes during the 15th century BC inside the palatial complex of
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Architecture of Minoan Crete: Constructing Identity in the Aegean Bronze Age
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rest on each side are staring at it. Moreover, on three sides it contains
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throne room and its anteroom. The room received its final form in
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region, indeed the oldest in Europe. The chamber contains an
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Greece before History: An Archaeological Companion and Guide
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Minoan Kingship and the Solar Goddess: A Near Eastern Koine
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Buildings and structures completed in the 15th century BC
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The Oxford Illustrated History of Prehistoric Europe
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Greek Realities: Life and Thought in Ancient Greece
462:. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. 142:seat on the north wall, identified by Evans as a " 108:palace of Knossos, one of the main centers of the 526: 498:Runnels, Curtis Neil; Murray, Priscilla (2001). 260: 258: 256: 403:. New York, New York: Oxford University Press. 497: 430:(3). Université Catholique de Louvain: 57–61. 264: 253: 483:. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. 112:and is considered the oldest throne room in 277: 275: 273: 455: 343: 341: 320: 292: 290: 281: 171:One of the two Griffins facing the throne 124:The throne room was unearthed in 1900 by 417: 396: 359: 347: 270: 179:The throne room prior to reconstruction. 174: 166: 476: 382:. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. 296: 527: 434: 338: 332: 287: 207: 375: 308: 379:The Ancient Greeks: New Perspectives 570:Archaeological discoveries in Crete 13: 104:. It is found at the heart of the 14: 581: 520: 74:Ceremonial and religious purposes 27: 540:1900 archaeological discoveries 376:Budin, Stephanie Lynn (2004). 353: 326: 314: 302: 119: 1: 247: 33:The reconstructed Throne Room 7: 235: 10: 586: 368: 162: 66:15th century BC/ 1899-1955 477:McEnroe, John C. (2010). 456:Marinatos, Nanno (2010). 265:Runnels & Murray 2001 78: 70: 62: 48: 38: 26: 21: 435:Hooper, Finley (1978) . 397:Cunliffe, Barry (2001). 16:Historic site in Knossos 418:Driessen, Jan (2003). 242:List of Aegean frescos 180: 172: 22:Throne Room at Knossos 545:Minoan sites in Crete 178: 170: 192:, evidently applied 208:Mycenaean influence 110:Minoan civilization 181: 173: 511:978-0-8047-4050-0 490:978-0-292-72193-7 469:978-0-252-03392-6 448:978-0-8143-1597-2 410:978-0-19-285441-4 389:978-1-57607-814-3 350:, pp. 57–61. 335:, pp. 30–31. 323:, pp. 53–54. 82: 81: 577: 565:Individual rooms 515: 494: 473: 452: 431: 414: 393: 363: 357: 351: 345: 336: 330: 324: 318: 312: 306: 300: 294: 285: 279: 268: 262: 157:Late Minoan IIIA 31: 19: 18: 585: 584: 580: 579: 578: 576: 575: 574: 550:Mycenaean Crete 525: 524: 523: 518: 512: 491: 470: 449: 411: 390: 371: 366: 358: 354: 346: 339: 331: 327: 319: 315: 307: 303: 295: 288: 280: 271: 263: 254: 250: 238: 218:Mycenaean Greek 210: 194:Greek mythology 165: 122: 34: 17: 12: 11: 5: 583: 573: 572: 567: 562: 557: 555:Minoan frescos 552: 547: 542: 537: 522: 521:External links 519: 517: 516: 510: 495: 489: 474: 468: 453: 447: 432: 415: 409: 394: 388: 372: 370: 367: 365: 364: 362:, p. 227. 352: 337: 325: 321:Marinatos 2010 313: 311:, p. 178. 301: 299:, p. 122. 286: 282:Marinatos 2010 269: 251: 249: 246: 245: 244: 237: 234: 209: 206: 164: 161: 121: 118: 80: 79: 76: 75: 72: 68: 67: 64: 60: 59: 50: 46: 45: 40: 36: 35: 32: 24: 23: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 582: 571: 568: 566: 563: 561: 558: 556: 553: 551: 548: 546: 543: 541: 538: 536: 533: 532: 530: 513: 507: 503: 502: 496: 492: 486: 482: 481: 475: 471: 465: 461: 460: 454: 450: 444: 440: 439: 433: 429: 425: 424:Athena Review 421: 416: 412: 406: 402: 401: 395: 391: 385: 381: 380: 374: 373: 361: 360:Cunliffe 2001 356: 349: 348:Driessen 2003 344: 342: 334: 329: 322: 317: 310: 305: 298: 293: 291: 284:, p. 50. 283: 278: 276: 274: 267:, p. 92. 266: 261: 259: 257: 252: 243: 240: 239: 233: 231: 227: 222: 219: 215: 205: 201: 199: 198:lustral basin 195: 191: 187: 177: 169: 160: 158: 153: 149: 146:", while two 145: 141: 137: 133: 130: 129:archaeologist 127: 117: 115: 111: 107: 103: 99: 95: 91: 87: 77: 73: 69: 65: 61: 58: 54: 51: 47: 44: 41: 37: 30: 25: 20: 500: 479: 458: 437: 427: 423: 399: 378: 355: 328: 316: 304: 297:McEnroe 2010 211: 202: 182: 132:Arthur Evans 123: 86:Throne Room 85: 83: 333:Hooper 1978 230:Peloponnese 120:Environment 529:Categories 309:Budin 2004 248:References 106:Bronze Age 214:Mycenaean 140:alabaster 71:Built for 236:See also 221:Linear B 184:king of 148:Griffins 39:Location 560:Knossos 369:Sources 228:in the 163:Purpose 126:British 94:Knossos 90:chamber 43:Knossos 508:  487:  466:  445:  407:  386:  152:gypsum 144:throne 136:Aegean 114:Europe 102:Greece 88:was a 63:Formed 57:Greece 226:Pylos 190:Minos 186:Crete 100:, in 98:Crete 53:Crete 506:ISBN 485:ISBN 464:ISBN 443:ISBN 405:ISBN 384:ISBN 84:The 49:Area 531:: 426:. 422:. 340:^ 289:^ 272:^ 255:^ 232:. 188:, 116:. 96:, 55:, 514:. 493:. 472:. 451:. 428:3 413:. 392:.

Index


Knossos
Crete
Greece
chamber
Knossos
Crete
Greece
Bronze Age
Minoan civilization
Europe
British
archaeologist
Arthur Evans
Aegean
alabaster
throne
Griffins
gypsum
Late Minoan IIIA


Crete
Minos
Greek mythology
lustral basin
Mycenaean
Mycenaean Greek
Linear B
Pylos

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