Original subtitles

Narrator: THE ANCIENT RUINS OF KNOSSOS IN GREECE.

THE HEART OF A CIVILIZATION

THAT VANISHED MORE THAN THREE MILLENNIA AGO.

THE MYSTERIOUS MINOANS.

Fitzsimons: CONSTRUCTING KNOSSOS IS AN INCREDIBLE FEAT.

THE BUILDERS LIVED OVER A THOUSAND YEARS

BEFORE THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.

Narrator: KNOSSOS WAS ONCE HOME TO A LEGENDARY AND PIONEERING PEOPLE.

INGENIOUS, ANCIENT BUILDERS WHO MAY HAVE INSPIRED

THE STORIES OF ATLANTIS.

BUT WHO WERE THE MINOANS, AND WHY DID THEY SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR?

TODAY, INVESTIGATORS USE THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY

TO REVEAL A LOST WORLD

CREATED BY EUROPE'S FIRST GREAT CIVILIZATION.

Brogan: THE MINOANS EXPERIENCED A WAY OF LIFE

THAT WE DO NOT SEE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

Narrator: DID A SERIES OF NATURAL DISASTERS

CAUSE THIS EXTRAORDINARY SOCIETY TO COLLAPSE?

THIS HUGE WAVE SEVERAL HUNDREDS OF FEET HIGH

DESTROYING EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH.

Narrator: OR DID INVADERS BRING ABOUT THEIR DOWNFALL?

TO SOLVE THESE MYSTERIES, WE'LL JOURNEY DEEP INSIDE

THE MINOAN CAPITAL OF KNOSSOS.

UNCOVERING BURIED CHAMBERS AND SECRET CODES,

WE'LL FINALLY REVEAL THE AMAZING HIDDEN STORY

OF THIS LOST EMPIRE.

--Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

ON THE GREEK ISLAND OF CRETE STANDS KNOSSOS,

ONE OF THE MOST MYSTERIOUS MEGA- STRUCTURES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

BUILT 4,000 YEARS AGO,

IT WAS THE MOST SPECTACULAR BUILDING IN EUROPE.

WHEN ATHENS WAS JUST A SMALL SETTLEMENT,

KNOSSOS WAS ALREADY 500 YEARS OLD.

WE DON'T SEE ANYTHING WITH THIS LEVEL OF SOPHISTICATION

ANYWHERE ELSE IN EUROPE AT THE SAME TIME.

Narrator: NOW NEW DISCOVERIES MAY FINALLY REVEAL THE RISE

AND FALL OF THE EXTRAORDINARY CIVILIZATION

THAT LIVED HERE.

THE MINOANS.

WHO WERE THESE ANCIENT PEOPLE, AND WHY DID THEY DISAPPEAR?

♪♪

THIS VAST SET OF RUINS

SPRAWLS ACROSS CRETE'S ANCIENT LANDSCAPE.

AT THE HEART OF THE COMPLEX, A LAVISHLY DECORATED CHAMBER

WITH A MYSTERIOUS THRONE CARVED FROM SOLID STONE.

SURROUNDING THIS, 1,500 ROOMS,

CONNECTED BY A BEWILDERING MAZE OF PASSAGEWAYS.

IN ITS PRIME, COLUMNS UP TO 10-FEET TALL

ONCE SUPPORTED A BUILDING FOUR STORIES HIGH.

♪♪

WHAT WAS THIS COMPLEX REALLY FOR,

AND DID THIS MASTERPIECE OF ANCIENT ENGINEERING

INSPIRE MYTHS AND LEGENDS?

♪♪

THE ANCIENT GREEKS BELIEVED THAT KNOSSOS WAS ONCE THE HOME

OF A KING WHO IMPRISONED A DEADLY BEAST

INSIDE A MYSTERIOUS LAIR.

A MAZE KNOWN AS THE LABYRINTH.

WITH A FEARSOME HALF-MAN, HALF-BULL CREATURE

CALLED THE MINOTAUR TRAPPED INSIDE.

ARCHAEOLOGIST DR. KOSTIS CHRISTAKIS THINKS

THAT THE CLUES TO UNDERSTANDING

WHY THESE MYTHS BEGAN ARE LOCKED INSIDE THE RUINS

HERE AT KNOSSOS.

BUT WHY DID KNOSSOS GIVE RISE TO THE MYTH OF THE LABYRINTH?

KOSTIS INVESTIGATES HIDDEN FEATURES

THAT COULD PROVIDE ANSWERS.

♪♪

INSIDE THE LOWER PARTS OF KNOSSOS

IS A BEWILDERING WARREN OF PASSAGES AND TIGHT CORNERS.

RUNNING THOUSANDS OF FEET IN LENGTH.

YOU CAN LOSE YOUR BEARINGS WITH ONE WRONG TURN.

INSCRIBED ON THE WALLS HIDDEN BEHIND PLASTER,

MYSTERIOUS SYMBOLS CARVED INTO THE STONE

LIE THROUGHOUT THE PALACE.

CAN THESE INSCRIPTIONS UNLOCK THE SECRETS

OF THIS BAFFLING MAZE?

WAS IT REALLY THE INSPIRATION FOR THE LEGENDARY LABYRINTH?

♪♪

KOSTIS THINKS THE SPRAWLING LAYOUT OF KNOSSOS

WAS A BIG INFLUENCE ON THE ANCIENT STORIES.

BUT IT'S THE SYMBOL OF A WEAPON INSCRIBED BY ITS BUILDERS

THAT COULD EXPLAIN HOW THE LABYRINTH GOT ITS NAME.

IN ANCIENT GREEK, THIS WEAPON WAS KNOWN AS A LABRYS.

AND SO CENTURIES LATER, WHEN THE GREEKS RULED CRETE,

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THESE MARKINGS

GAVE THE PALACE ITS NAME.

KNOSSOS SEEMS TO HAVE LABYRINTH LITERALLY WRITTEN ALL OVER IT.

BUT THESE LABRYSES WERE CUT HUNDREDS OF YEARS

BEFORE THE GREEK MYTHS WERE CREATED.

SO COULD THEIR ORIGINAL MEANING REVEAL

WHAT KNOSSOS WAS REALLY USED FOR?

LIKE AN ANCIENT CODE, THE SYMBOLS REVEAL

KNOSSOS' SUPREME POLITICAL STATUS.

SO WHAT IS THIS PLACE?

WAS IT SIMPLY A ROYAL RESIDENCE,

AS ITS LAVISH DECORATION SUGGESTS?

KOSTIS BELIEVES THAT MASSIVE JARS FOUND INSIDE KNOSSOS

ARE A CLUE THAT IT SERVED AN AREA

MUCH BIGGER THAN WE SEE TODAY.

FOR KOSTIS, THE STORAGE CAPACITY AT KNOSSOS

IS PROOF IT ADMINISTERED A VAST MINOAN COMMUNITY.

ALTHOUGH IT MAY LOOK LIKE A LABYRINTH,

KOSTIS THINKS KNOSSOS' LAYOUT IS, IN FACT,

AN INGENIOUS FLEXIBLE DESIGN

THAT HELPED SERVE A GROWING POPULATION.

THE COMPLEX AT KNOSSOS WAS DIVIDED UP BY LARGE WOODEN DOORS

THAT COULD LOCK SHUT.

[ CLANGING ]

SEGREGATING THE SPACE TRANSFORMED IT

FROM A MAZE-LIKE LAYOUT

INTO A SERIES OF INDIVIDUAL ROOMS AND WORKSHOPS.

WEAVERS WORKED ALONGSIDE POTTERS AND SCRIBES WHO KEPT RECORDS.

♪♪

THE STRUCTURE SPANNED FOUR FLOORS,

CREATING OVER 1,500 ROOMS TO HOUSE A HUGE ARMY OF WORKERS.

♪♪

SO, JUST HOW BIG WAS THE CITY

THAT THIS PALACE GOVERNED 4,000 YEARS AGO?

TO TRULY UNDERSTAND ITS SCALE,

KOSTIS NEEDS TO GO BEYOND KNOSSOS' MODERN BOUNDARIES.

AMAZINGLY, POTTERY CAN STILL BE FOUND

LYING IN THE SURROUNDING FIELDS.

IT REVEALS WHERE THE SUBURBAN MINOANS

LIVED THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

REMNANTS LIKE THIS CAN PROVIDE CLUES TO KNOSSOS' ORIGINAL SIZE

DURING THE TIME OF THE MINOANS.

[ DRONE BUZZING ]

TODAY, KOSTIS USES A DRONE

TO GET A NEW, BIRD'S-EYE PERSPECTIVE

ON THE SCALE OF THIS SPRAWLING URBAN AREA.

THE DRONE REVEALS JUST HOW LARGE IT ONCE WAS.

COVERING AN INCREDIBLE 300 ACRES

WITH A POPULATION OF AROUND 30,000 PEOPLE.

THE MINOANS MAY NOT BE AS WELL KNOWN

AS THE LATER GREEKS OR ROMANS,

BUT THEY BUILT THE FIRST GREAT CIVILIZATION OF EUROPE.

THE INTRICATE LAYOUT OF THE PALACE HELPED SUPPORT A CITY

AND INSPIRED THE MYTH OF THE LABYRINTH.

DID IT ALSO GIVE RISE TO THE LEGEND OF A POWERFUL KING,

OR THE TALE OF THE HALF-MAN, HALF-BULL CREATURE,

THE MINOTAUR?

AND WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO BRING EUROPE'S FIRST CIVILIZATION

CRASHING DOWN?

Narrator: KNOSSOS ON THE GREEK ISLAND OF CRETE.

THE COLOSSAL PALACE CITY OF THE MINOANS,

EUROPE'S FIRST CIVILIZATION.

THE ANCIENT GREEKS BELIEVED IT WAS HOME TO A KING CALLED MINOS,

WHO IMPRISONED THE HALF-MAN, HALF-BULL MONSTER, THE MINOTAUR.

A LEGEND THAT ALMOST SEEMED TRUE

WHEN ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED A MAZE-LIKE COMPLEX

AND A MIGHTY THRONE ROOM BENEATH THE DIRT.

IT'S THE FINEST THRONE EVER FOUND TILL THE 18th CENTURY.

Narrator: BUT OTHER THAN THIS SEAT, NO EVIDENCE FOR A KING

AT KNOSSOS HAS EVER BEEN FOUND.

THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS WHO LIVED AT THE SAME TIME

AS THE MINOANS HAD HUGE MURALS

WITH IMAGES OF GOD-LIKE PHARAOHS.

THE MINOANS DID NOT HAVE,

LIKE, WHAT WE WOULD CALL ROYAL ICONOGRAPHY.

WE KNOW ABOUT THE EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS,

BUT THE MINOANS DIDN'T DEPICT THEIR RULERS.

Narrator: WITH NO SUCH EVIDENCE LIKE THIS AT KNOSSOS,

CAN WE BE SURE THAT A KING LIKE MINOS EVER RULED HERE?

♪♪

THE THRONE ROOM IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SITE

IN THE ENTIRE PALACE.

LAVISHLY DECORATED WALLS WITH STONE BENCHES SUGGEST

AN ELITE SITTING COUNCIL.

AT THE CENTER, FLANKED BY TWO GRIFFINS,

AN INTRICATELY CARVED STONE THRONE LOOKS FIT FOR A KING.

BUT ITS DESIGN HIDES A CURIOUS FEATURE.

AT DAWN DURING THE WINTER SOLSTICE,

THE RISING SUN ALIGNS PRECISELY WITH THE DOOR,

ILLUMINATING THE THRONE IN A SUBLIME, OTHERWORLDLY LIGHT.

SO IS THIS THE THRONE OF A KING

OR A SEAT FOR A MIGHTY SPIRITUAL LEADER?

ARCHAEOLOGIST JAN DRIESSEN HAS BEEN STUDYING THE RUINS OF CRETE

FOR 30 YEARS,

BUT THIS CHAMBER STILL HIDES SECRETS.

THE PERSON WHO WOULD BE SITTING ON THAT THRONE

WOULD IMMEDIATELY GRAB ATTENTION.

BUT WHO THAT PERSON WAS IS, OF COURSE, A BIG MYSTERY.

Narrator: OTHER AREAS OF THE ROOM WERE ALSO HUGELY IMPORTANT

AS THE SUN'S RAYS HIT THEM ON KEY DATES IN THE SOLAR CALENDAR.

IN THE SUMMER SOLSTICE, THE LIGHT WOULD FALL IMMEDIATELY

IN THE CORNER OF THAT SUNKEN ROOM.

PROBABLY A RITUAL PURIFICATION BASIN.

IN THE SPRING EQUINOX,

THE LIGHT WOULD FALL DIRECTLY ON THE DOOR THERE.

EVERY ELEMENT OF THIS ROOM WAS ACTUALLY MADE

TO ENHANCE CERTAIN ACTIONS,

CERTAIN PERSONS AT DIFFERENT MOMENTS OF THE YEAR.

Narrator: THIS CHAMBER ISN'T JUST A HIGH SEAT OF POWER,

BUT A RITUAL SPACE FOR CEREMONIES

THAT MARK OUT THE SEASONS.

PERHAPS THIS ISN'T A THRONE FOR A KING,

BUT A MORE SPIRITUAL LEADER.

THERE IS SOMETHING WHICH IS CONNECTING THIS PERSON

WITH CEREMONY, WITH RELIGION AND RITUAL.

A PRIEST, MAYBE, OR PRIESTESS?

♪♪

Narrator: AND THERE ARE FURTHER SIGNS THAT SOCIETY AT KNOSSOS

REVOLVED AROUND RELIGION.

ONE IMAGE APPEARS AGAIN AND AGAIN.

♪♪

THE BULL.

WAS THIS CREATURE AT THE HEART OF THE MINOAN FAITH?

ALL VISITORS TO THE PALACE WOULD HAVE COME THIS WAY UP THIS RAMP.

JUST ABOVE THIS RAMP, YOU SEE THE BULL IMAGERY.

THIS AMAZING RELIEF MODEL MADE OF PLASTER, ATTACKING BULL.

BUT THE BULL WAS ALSO PRESENT ALL OVER THIS BUILDING.

THE BULL REALLY REPRESENTS

THE SYMBOL OF THIS PALACE OF KNOSSOS.

Narrator: THIS ANIMAL IS A KEY CHARACTER IN CRETE'S GREATEST MYTH.

THE HALF-MAN, HALF-BULL BEAST, THE MINOTAUR.

ALL THE STORIES ABOUT THE MINOTAUR COULD ACTUALLY BE

A CONSEQUENCE OF BULL IMAGERY STILL BEING PRESENT

EVEN WHEN THE PALACE WAS LONG DESTROYED.

Narrator: SO, WHY WAS THE BULL SO IMPORTANT AT KNOSSOS?

JAN THINKS A CURIOUS PAINTING THAT ORIGINALLY DECORATED A WALL

IN THE EAST WING OF THE PALACE COULD HOLD THE ANSWER.

HERE, WE FOUND A REALLY REMARKABLE SCENE.

YOU ACTUALLY SEE HOW THE BULL ACTUALLY THROWS A PERSON

OVER HIS BACK INTO THE ARMS OF SOMEBODY ELSE.

THIS IS ACTUALLY BULL JUMPING.

THIS IS AN ACTIVITY THAT PEOPLE STILL DO IN PORTUGAL AND SPAIN,

IN FRANCE, OR IN AFRICA.

YOU SEE THE RESEMBLANCE BETWEEN THESE TWO ACTIONS.

Narrator: SOME ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK BULL-JUMPING EVENTS

COULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE RIGHT HERE.

JAN PACES OUT THE SIZE OF THE COURTYARD.

MODERN BULL RINGS ARE OFTEN AROUND 200 FEET IN DIAMETER.

IS KNOSSOS' CENTRAL COURT BIG ENOUGH

TO HOLD THIS EXTREME RITUAL?

200.

AT 200 FEET, IT'S LONG ENOUGH FOR BULL JUMPING.

Driessen: EVERYTHING IMPORTANT THAT HAPPENED IN MINOAN SOCIETY

WAS PROBABLY TAKING PLACE HERE.

I MEAN, THEY HAD LARGE FEASTS.

YOU COULD HAVE PEOPLE CHEERING FROM ON THE BALUSTRADES,

AND PROBABLY ONE OF THE MAJOR ACTIVITIES

WHICH CENTERED THEIR SOCIETY WAS THIS BULL-JUMPING.

Narrator: THE COURTYARD COVERED 16,000 SQUARE FEET.

ENCLOSED BY BUILDINGS, IT MAY HAVE DOUBLED UP AS AN ARENA

FOR BULL JUMPING.

SOME BELIEVE THAT AT THE START OF THE SPECTACLE,

A BULL WOULD EMERGE FROM ONE END OF THE COURTYARD

AND SIZE UP THE LEGENDARY MINOAN LEAPERS.

♪♪

WHEN THE BULL CHARGED, A BULL LEAPER TRIED TO VAULT

OVER THE BEAST AND LAND UNSCATHED ON THE OTHER SIDE.

PILLARED CORRIDORS ON THE COURTYARD'S SECOND FLOOR

WOULD HAVE MADE IDEAL VIEWING GALLERIES

WHERE CROWDS OF SPECTATORS CHEERED ON THEIR HEROES.

♪♪

JAN THINKS THE CENTRAL COURT OF KNOSSOS

SERVED MORE THAN JUST THE ELITES

WHO LOOKED ON FROM THE THRONE ROOM.

IT WAS A SPACE TO UNITE THE PEOPLE.

THE COHESION OF THE SOCIETY

IS WHATEVER WAS HAPPENING IN THIS COURT.

ALL THE RITUALS, ALL THE CEREMONIES.

SO IT'S REALLY NOT ONLY THE HEART OF THE PALACE,

BUT IT'S THE HEART OF MINOAN CIVILIZATION.

THIS WASN'T THE LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR,

BUT WITH ALL THE BULL IMAGERY,

I'M SURE THAT THIS STAYED IN THE MEMORY FOR CENTURIES,

FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE OTHER.

AND EVENTUALLY, IT TRANSFORMED INTO MANY MYTHS

THAT CENTERED AROUND THIS PLACE.

Narrator: A PICTURE OF A SOPHISTICATED CIVILIZATION

EMERGES FROM THE RUINS AT KNOSSOS,

BUT JUST HOW MUCH INFLUENCE DID THE MINOANS

HAVE BEYOND THEIR OWN KINGDOM?

CAN THIS TINY ISLAND OFF THE COAST OF CRETE

REVEAL HOW THEY BECAME AN INTERNATIONAL SUPERPOWER?

AND WAS KNOSSOS ADVANCED ENOUGH TO SURVIVE A SERIES

OF DEVASTATING NATURAL DISASTERS?

Narrator: THE PALACE COMPLEX OF KNOSSOS WAS THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT

OF THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION.

BUILT BY A SOPHISTICATED ISLAND SOCIETY,

UNDERPINNED BY A STRANGE RELIGION,

IT'S ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE MONUMENTS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

EVEN MORE ASTOUNDING, THIS 4,000-YEAR-OLD STRUCTURE

STANDS INSIDE A DANGER ZONE.

THE ISLAND OF CRETE BRINGS WITH IT NOT ONLY NATURAL BEAUTY,

BUT ALSO NATURAL DANGERS.

NONE MORE DESTRUCTIVE THAN THE EFFECTS OF EARTHQUAKES.

Narrator: A DEADLY SEISMIC FAULT LINE LIES JUST 15 MILES OFF

THE SOUTH COAST OF CRETE.

IT ROCKS THE ISLAND WITH UP TO 30 SHOCKS EVERY YEAR.

[ RUMBLING ]

IT'S TERRORIZED THE CIVILIZATIONS

OF THE MEDITERRANEAN FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

CRACKING THE STONE TEMPLES OF ATHENS

UNDER THE STRAIN OF REPEATED QUAKES.

SO, HOW DID KNOSSOS SURVIVE FOR A MILLENNIA?

♪♪

HUGE COLUMNS TEN FEET TALL ONCE SUPPORTED KNOSSOS' UPPER LEVELS.

FROM THE OUTSIDE, THEY LOOKED LIKE REGULAR STONE COLUMNS.

BUT HIDDEN BENEATH THE OUTER LAYER OF PLASTER,

A SOLID TREE TRUNK, WEIGHING HUNDREDS OF POUNDS.

TOGETHER, THESE COLUMNS HELD UP A TOWERING BUILDING

FOUR STORIES TALL.

A TRULY ANCIENT SKYSCRAPER.

BUT WHY WOULD THE MINOANS HAVE USED WOOD INSTEAD OF STONE?

COULD THIS HAVE BEEN AN EARLY EARTHQUAKE DEFENSE SYSTEM?

THE TIMBER COLUMNS HERE ROTTED AWAY A LONG TIME AGO,

BUT DR. RODNEY FITZSIMONS

THINK THEY PLAYED A VITAL ROLE

IN THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE PALACE.

WHAT ORIGINALLY WOULD HAVE BEEN PLACED IN HERE

IS A VERTICAL WOODEN TIMBER.

WE HAVE ONE EXAMPLE HERE.

ONE EXAMPLE DOWN HERE.

SO TWO PARTS OF A MUCH LARGER WOODEN FRAMEWORK

THAT WOULD HAVE HELD THE WALL TOGETHER.

Narrator: RODNEY FINDS THAT WOOD DOES THE HEAVY LIFTING

IN EVERY CORNER OF THE PALACE.

SO THIS ENTIRE WALL HAS BEEN RECONSTRUCTED,

BUT IT GIVES US A GOOD SENSE OF WHAT THAT TIMBER FRAMEWORK

ORIGINALLY WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE.

IT FORMS THIS WOODEN SKELETON.

IT PROVIDES STRUCTURE.

IT PROVIDES STRENGTH TO THE WALL.

Narrator: RODNEY ESTIMATES THAT IT TOOK HUNDREDS OF TONS OF WOOD

TO KEEP KNOSSOS STANDING.

Fitzsimons: WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A REPLICANT MADE OF CONCRETE.

THE ORIGINAL COLUMN WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE

OF AN INVERTED TREE TRUNK.

YOU CAN SEE THEIR MASSIVE SIZE NECESSARY

TO SUPPORT THE INCREDIBLE WEIGHT

OF THE UP TO FOUR STORIES THAT WOULD HAVE RISEN

ABOVE WHERE WE'RE STANDING HERE.

Narrator: RODNEY IS CONVINCED THE RIGHT WOOD

MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE MINOANS' SECRET WEAPON

THAT PROTECTED THEM AGAINST THE MOST VIOLENT EARTHQUAKES.

COULD WHAT STILL REMAINS OF THE BUILDING TODAY

REVEAL WHAT TYPE OF TREE THEY USED?

Fitzsimons: THE FUNCTION OF THE COLUMN BASE

IS REALLY TO RAISE THE WOOD ABOVE GROUND LEVEL

TO PROTECT IT FROM WATER AND MOISTURE.

BUT FOR OUR PURPOSES, THESE BASES SERVE AS A HANDY GUIDE

BECAUSE BY MEASURING THEM, WE GET A DIAMETER OF 14 INCHES

WHICH GIVES US SOME IDEA THE KIND OF TREE

THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN USED FOR THE COLUMN.

Narrator: ARMED WITH THESE MEASUREMENTS,

RODNEY SEARCHES FOR A TREE THAT FITS.

HE THINKS THE MINOANS HAD THE PERFECT RAW MATERIAL

RIGHT OUTSIDE THE GATES OF KNOSSOS.

Fitzsimons: I'VE BASICALLY WALKED ABOUT 20 FEET.

I'M NOW IN THE MIDDLE OF A COPSE OF CYPRESS TREES,

AND RIGHT BEFORE ME HERE IS AN EXCELLENT CANDIDATE.

IT'S STRONG. IT'S STRAIGHT.

IT WOULD BE RELATIVELY EASY TO CONVERT INTO A COLUMN.

THEY WOULD TRIM DOWN THE SHAFT, AND THEN THEY WOULD COAT

WHAT'S LEFT IN PLASTER THAT THEY CAN PAINT.

AND IF WE MEASURE THE DIAMETER, WE GET ABOUT 13 INCHES,

WHICH MAKES IT PERFECT TO SIT ON A 14-INCH STONE COLUMN BASE.

Narrator: RODNEY BELIEVES THE MINOANS CHOSE CYPRESS TRUNKS.

THAT'S BECAUSE THE WOOD IS PLIABLE

AND RESISTANT TO SPLITTING,

EVEN WHEN UNDER IMMENSE PRESSURE.

SO IN ADDITION TO STRENGTH, THESE CYPRESS TREES

ALSO PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY.

SO IN ESSENCE, WHEN AN EARTHQUAKE STRIKES,

THE WALLS CAN BEND AND ABSORB THE SHOCKS,

AND THEREFORE, SURVIVE THE EARTHQUAKE INTACT.

Narrator: SO, HOW DOES WOOD ABSORB THE EFFECTS OF SEISMIC ACTIVITY?

♪♪

STONE COLUMNS ARE STRONG AND SOLID, BUT INFLEXIBLE.

SO IN EARTHQUAKE-PRONE AREAS, THEY ARE VULNERABLE TO CRACKING.

A COLUMN MADE FROM A CYPRESS TREE TRUNK IS DIFFERENT.

IT'S MADE UP OF COUNTLESS TOUGH FIBERS

WHICH CAN FLEX AND SLIDE OVER EACH OTHER.

THE COMBINED EFFECT IS A STURDY COLUMN THAT CAN BEND

WITHOUT BREAKING.

SO WHEN AN EARTHQUAKE STRIKES,

THE COLUMNS ABSORB THE SHOCK FROM THE GROUND AT THEIR BASE.

THIS REDUCES THE MOTION AT THE TOP

AND STEADIES THE FLOORS ABOVE.

THEY'RE AN ANCIENT BUT EFFECTIVE DEFENSE AGAINST EARTHQUAKES.

♪♪

DESIGNING SUCH MAGNIFICENT BUILDINGS,

CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING SEISMIC SHOCKS

MADE THE MINOANS MASTERS OF ENGINEERING.

Fitzsimons: CONSTRUCTING THE PALACE AT KNOSSOS IS AN INCREDIBLE FEAT,

AND IT'S ONE THAT'S MADE EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE

WHEN WE RECALL THE MINOANS WHO BUILT THIS PALACE

LIVED OVER A THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.

Narrator: THE MINOANS WERE ONE OF THE FIRST ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS

OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

AN ISLAND NATION THAT BUILT AN INCREDIBLE CITY

ON A SCALE UNRIVALED IN EUROPE.

SO, WHERE DID THEY GET THE RICHES NEEDED TO BUILD KNOSSOS?

WERE THE MINOANS MASTERS OF MORE THAN JUST ARCHITECTURE?

AND COULD SHOCKING EVIDENCE FROM THE COAST

REVEAL THE KNOCKOUT BLOW

THAT STRUCK THEIR SOCIETY RIGHT AT ITS PEAK?

Narrator: KNOSSOS IN GREECE IS A MARVEL OF ANCIENT ENGINEERING.

THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT OF THE ADVANCED MINOAN CIVILIZATION.

IT WAS A CITY CENTER FOR A HUGE POPULATION.

AND A GRAND ARENA FOR DRAMATIC PUBLIC SPECTACLES.

THE WEALTH IN MINOAN SOCIETY WASN'T RESTRICTED TO THE PALACE.

WE SEE IT ON MANY LEVELS, WIDESPREAD THROUGHOUT SOCIETY.

Narrator: SO, HOW DID THEY CREATE AN AFFLUENT

AND SOPHISTICATED CIVILIZATION

WHEN THE REST OF EUROPE WAS BUILDING SIMPLE HOMES?

ONE DISCOVERY AT KNOSSOS COULD REVEAL THE KEY

TO THEIR INCREDIBLE WEALTH.

♪♪

WHEN ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIRST UNCOVERED THE NORTH ENTRANCE,

THEY UNEARTHED A MYSTERIOUS ARTIFACT

NOT SEEN FOR OVER 3,000 YEARS.

AN ANCIENT BOARD GAME

WITH AN EXTRAVAGANTLY DECORATED WOODEN BASE.

INLAID WITH BLUE GLASS, ROCK CRYSTAL,

AND GOLD FROM FOREIGN LANDS.

AND FOUR GAMING PIECES CARVED OUT OF EXOTIC ELEPHANT IVORY.

THIS SINGLE OBJECT CONTAINS TREASURES

FROM FAR ACROSS THE OCEANS.

IF TRADE WAS THE SOURCE OF THE MINOANS' WEALTH,

WHAT WERE THEY OFFERING IN EXCHANGE FOR SUCH RICHES?

♪♪

ARCHAEOLOGIST THOMAS BROGAN THINKS THE ANSWER LIES

ON A TINY ISLAND 42 MILES FROM KNOSSOS

JUST OFF THE COAST OF CRETE.

BEHIND ME, YOU CAN JUST BEGIN TO SEE THE MINOAN TOWN OF MOCHLOS.

THIS SETTLEMENT PRESERVES ONE OF THE BEST PICTURES

OF EVERYDAY LIFE WE HAVE FOR MINOAN CRETE.

Narrator: MOCHLOS IS A TINY ISLAND, BUT TOM THINKS IT PLAYED A KEY ROLE

IN ENABLING THE MINOANS TO TRADE FAR BEYOND THEIR HOMELAND.

HE SPOTS SOMETHING STRANGE BY THE SHORELINE.

Brogan: ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE ARE TRACES OF WALLS

WHICH APPEAR TO BE RUNNING DOWN INTO THE WATER.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE AS MUCH AS HALF OR MORE OF THE HOUSE

WAS LOST CLOSE TO THE SEA.

Narrator: TOM THINKS THE DESTROYED HOUSE COULD INDICATE A DRAMATIC CHANGE

IN THE LANDSCAPE --

ONE THAT CONCEALS HOW THE MINOANS USED THE ISLAND.

4,000 YEARS AGO, THE SEA LEVEL HERE

WAS SOME 12 FEET LOWER THAN IT IS NOW.

BY MEASURING THE SEA LEVEL TODAY, WE CAN SEE THAT THE WATER

IS 7 1/2 FEET DEEP,

WHICH MEANS THAT THIS ENTIRE AREA BETWEEN THE MODERN VILLAGE

AND THE ISLAND OF MOCHLOS WOULD HAVE BEEN EXPOSED.

[ SPEAKING GREEK ]

Narrator: THE LOWER SEA LEVEL WOULD HAVE REVEALED

A PENINSULA CONNECTED TO THE MAINLAND.

Brogan: WE'RE WALKING DOWN THE LARGEST STREET IN THE MINOAN TOWN,

AND NOW YOU BEGIN TO SEE HOW THE STREET ENDS

AS IT APPROACHES THE HARBOR.

AND YOU'VE GOT TO IMAGINE A LAND BRIDGE.

AND THIS STREET WOULD HAVE RUN ACROSS IT

AND TAKEN MERCHANTS AND CRAFTSMEN TO THE MAINLAND.

Narrator: MOCHLOS WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY, NATURAL FORMATION.

THE PENINSULA WOULD HAVE DIVIDED THE BAY IN TWO,

FORMING A HARBOR ON EACH SIDE FOR FLEETS OF SHIPS,

EACH BRINGING IN UP TO 20 TONS OF GOODS EVERY DAY.

BUT WERE THERE PRODUCTS GOING OUT AS WELL AS COMING IN?

THE LAND BRIDGE THAT CONNECTED MOCHLOS TO CRETE

PROVED CRITICAL ON AN ISLAND RENOWNED FOR ITS EXTREME WINDS.

[ WIND HOWLING ]

IT CREATED TWO COVES.

NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION THE WIND BLEW FROM,

ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER PROTECTED SHIPS FROM DESTRUCTIVE STORMS.

THE MINOANS EXPLOITED THIS NATURAL FORMATION

AND USED IT TO HELP BUILD UP A VAST MERCHANT NAVY.

♪♪

4,000 YEARS AGO, MOCHLOS WAS A BUSTLING PORT,

ONE OF THE EARLIEST INTERNATIONAL HUBS EVER BUILT.

♪♪

MERCHANTS IMPORTED HUGE NUMBERS OF VALUABLE OBJECTS

AS THEY VENTURED EVEN FURTHER ACROSS THE SEAS.

BUT WHAT EXACTLY WERE THE MINOANS

EXPORTING THAT WOULD BRING SUCH WEALTH?

ON MOCHLOS, TOM DISCOVERS CLUES INSIDE ITS BUILDINGS.

OVER HERE, WE HAVE A POUNDING PLATFORM.

NEXT TO WHICH WE FOUND STONE TOOLS LIKE THIS HAMMER STONE,

WHICH WERE USED TO CRUSH SOMETHING ON ITS SURFACE.

Narrator: TOM BELIEVES THIS WAS ONCE A WORKSHOP FOR MAKING PERFUME,

WHERE THE MINOANS PROCESSED THEIR MOST VALUABLE PRODUCT,

OLIVE OIL.

OVER HERE, WE FOUND A BASIN

WHICH WAS USED TO RETAIN WARMED OLIVE OIL.

AND WE THINK AROMATIC PLANTS,

WHICH WERE WIDELY AVAILABLE IN THE LANDSCAPE,

WERE BROUGHT IN HERE AND CRUSHED

AND THEN SEEPED INTO THE WARM OIL.

AND THEN THE AROMATIC PERFUME THAT WAS PRODUCED WAS EXCHANGED

FOR THE THINGS THAT WEREN'T AVAILABLE ON THE ISLAND.

Narrator: DRIVEN BY PERFUMED OIL, HARBORS LIKE MOCHLOS ALLOWED THE MINOANS

TO BUILD A VAST TRADING EMPIRE

WITH FLEETS OF SHIPS SAILING THOUSANDS OF MILES.

THE OIL WAS EXCHANGED FOR TREASURES,

LIKE THOSE USED TO MAKE THE SPECTACULAR BOARD GAME

AT KNOSSOS.

Brogan: THEY WERE IMPORTING ROCK CRYSTAL FROM SOURCES

IN TAJIKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN.

GOLD FROM SOURCES IN EGYPT.

IVORY FROM SOURCES IN SYRIA.

MINOANS LIVING IN THESE COMMUNITIES

EXPERIENCED A WAY OF LIFE THAT WE DO NOT SEE ELSEWHERE

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

Narrator: THE RICHES FLOWED INTO KNOSSOS TO FUND ITS CONSTRUCTION

AND A LIFE OF LUXURY.

THE FINDS FROM ALL OF THESE HOUSES BEGINS

TO GIVE YOU A PICTURE OF THE WEALTH THAT HAD BEEN ACQUIRED

BY THE INHABITANTS NOT ONLY OF MOCHLOS,

BUT BY THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION IN GENERAL.

Narrator: HARBORS LIKE THIS ALLOWED THE MINOANS

TO SPREAD THEIR CULTURE AND INFLUENCE ACROSS EUROPE

AND THE NEAR EAST.

BUT AT THE HEIGHT OF THEIR EMPIRE,

THEIR CIVILIZATION SUDDENLY AND SHOCKINGLY DISAPPEARED.

DID A SERIES OF NATURAL DISASTERS

BRING THE MINOANS TO THEIR KNEES?

AND CAN TERRIFYING EVIDENCE REVEAL THE CHAOS

CAUSED BY AN INVADING POWER?

Narrator: 3,000 YEARS AGO, KNOSSOS WAS THE SOPHISTICATED CAPITAL CITY

OF AN ANCIENT SUPERPOWER.

BUT AT ITS PEAK, TRACES OF MINOAN LIFE ACROSS THE ISLAND

SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED.

WHAT DESTROYED EUROPE'S FIRST GREAT CIVILIZATION?

ARCHAEOLOGIST JAN DRIESSEN THINKS A THREAT

CAME FROM THE SEA.

HE DISCOVERS A SHOCKING DISASTER

AT A COASTAL TOWN CALLED PALAIKASTRO.

ANCIENT CRETE'S SECOND-BIGGEST SETTLEMENT AFTER KNOSSOS.

WE'RE ACTUALLY WALKING A 4,000-YEAR-OLD STREET,

AND THIS SETTLEMENT WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE SEA.

SORT OF LIKE AT LEAST 200, 300 METERS DOWN.

BUT RIGHT AT THE MOMENT WHEN MINOAN CIVILIZATION

WAS AT ITS PRIME,

THIS WAS ALL FLATTENED, WIPED OUT,

KNOCKED DOWN BY A TERRIBLE FORCE.

Narrator: SO, WHAT DESTROYED PALAIKASTRO?

BURIED BENEATH THIS MINOAN COASTAL OUTPOST,

UNDER LAYERS OF CLAY AND SOIL,

DEPOSITS OF ASH NEARLY EIGHT INCHES THICK

GIVE CLUES TO A CATASTROPHIC EVENT.

♪♪

NEARBY, ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH AN EXQUISITELY DECORATED VASE.

BUT INSTEAD OF A BULL, A NEW ANIMAL TAKES CENTER STAGE

IN THE ARTWORK.

THE OCTOPUS.

♪♪

WHERE DID THE ASH COME FROM,

AND DID ITS SOURCE HAVE THE POWER

TO CHANGE MINOAN CULTURE FOREVER?

♪♪

JAN SEARCHES FOR EVIDENCE OF DESTRUCTION IN THE LAYERS OF MUD

ON THE SHORELINE AT PALAIKASTRO.

Driessen: YOU SEE, LIKE, FALLEN BLOCKS.

YOU SEE A BEAUTIFULLY CUT SLAB WHICH WAS LIKE A PAVING SLAB.

Narrator: IT REVEALS THE SHOCKING IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE OF THE TOWN.

Driessen: YOU SEE ACTUALLY HUMAN BONES STICKING OUT HERE.

I THINK IT'S EVEN A SKULL, SMASHED TO SMITHEREENS.

Narrator: FOR JAN, THIS LEVEL OF DEVASTATION IS A SIGN

THAT A MEGA TSUNAMI STRUCK THE COAST OF CRETE.

Driessen: A HUGE TIDAL WAVE CAME IN

AND TRANSPORTED PART OF THE SETTLEMENT INLAND

AND THEN DREW EVERYTHING BACK AGAIN

AND THEN DEPOSITED IT AND DESTROYED EVERYTHING.

♪♪

Narrator: THE TSUNAMI HIT THE TOWN WITH ENOUGH POWER

TO FLATTEN BUILDINGS

AND CATAPULT CREATURES FROM THE DEEP FAR INLAND.

IMAGINE WHAT IT MEANT FOR THE PEOPLE

AT PALAIKASTRO LIVING IN THESE DAYS.

THIS HUGE WAVE, SEVERAL HUNDREDS OF FEET HIGH,

TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED INLAND,

DESTROYING EVERYTHING ON ITS PATH.

♪♪

Narrator: BUT WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS COLOSSAL WAVE?

ON THE BEACHES OF PALAIKASTRO,

JAN FINDS EVIDENCE OF ANOTHER NATURAL DISASTER

THAT STRUCK THE MINOANS.

Driessen: THIS IS A VERY LIGHT STONE.

YOU SEE ALL THE BUBBLES IN THEM.

WE FIND THESE THINGS SORT OF ALL OVER THE SITE

AND ALL OVER THE BEACHES OF CRETE.

IT LOOKS HARMLESS, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY A SIGN OF NATURE'S

MOST VIOLENT EVENTS.

Narrator: THIS IS PUMICE, A TYPE OF ROCK THAT FORMS INSIDE A VOLCANO.

WHAT IS ALSO INTERESTING IS THAT THIS FLOATS.

IT FLOATS BECAUSE OF THE GAS BUBBLES

THAT ARE CAUGHT IN THE PUMICE

WHEN IT'S THROWN OUT BY THE ERUPTION.

Narrator: BUT THERE ARE NO VOLCANOS ON CRETE.

SO COULD THE PUMICE HAVE BEEN BROUGHT HERE BY A TSUNAMI

TRIGGERED BY A MASSIVE VOLCANIC ERUPTION?

THE CLOSEST VOLCANO IS, IN FACT, ON THE ISLAND OF SANTORINI,

AND THAT'S MORE THAN 100 KILOMETERS THAT DIRECTION.

♪♪

Narrator: THE HORSESHOE-SHAPED ISLAND OF SANTORINI

SITS 70 MILES NORTH OF CRETE.

BUT 3,500 YEARS AGO, IT LOOKED VERY DIFFERENT.

AT THE HEIGHT OF THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION,

SANTORINI'S VOLCANO EXPLODED,

SHOOTING ASH 22 MILES UP INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

AS THE ISLAND COLLAPSED INTO THE SEA,

IT WOULD HAVE DISPLACED HUGE AMOUNTS OF WATER.

UNLEASHING A DEADLY TSUNAMI.

♪♪

THE WAVE SMASHED INTO THE COASTLINE OF CRETE,

DEVASTATING COASTAL TOWNS.

♪♪

SOME BELIEVE THAT THIS TIDAL WAVE

MAY HAVE EVEN INSPIRED THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS.

THE ERUPTION ALSO DESTROYED A SOPHISTICATED MINOAN COLONY

ON SANTORINI,

OFTEN IDENTIFIED AS THIS FABLED SUNKEN CITY.

ON CRETE, ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK THIS DOUBLE BLOW OF VOLCANIC ASH

AND TSUNAMI RESULTED IN ISLAND-WIDE STARVATION

EVEN FOR THOSE AT KNOSSOS.

THE ASH BLANKETED THEIR FIELDS, DESTROYING THE HARVEST.

IT CLOGGED THEIR WELLS. IT KILLED OFF THEIR ANIMALS,

AND THE TSUNAMI DESTROYED THEIR HARBOR INSTALLATIONS

AND WIPED OUT ITS TRADING PARTNERS.

THESE THINGS ANNOUNCED A SPIRAL OF DECLINE,

AND IT WAS ONLY GETTING FROM BAD TO WORSE.

Narrator: AFTER THE TSUNAMI, SOME EXPERTS BELIEVE THAT THE MINOANS

MAY HAVE TURNED TO NEW SYMBOLS OF POWER.

OCEAN CREATURES TO PROTECT THEM FROM THREATS

THAT CAME FROM THE SEA.

Driessen: THE TSUNAMI BROUGHT ALONG, LIKE, SEA CREATURES.

AND THESE SEA CREATURES LIKE ARGONAUTS AND OCTOPUSES

AND SEA STARS IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS SHOW UP IN THEIR ART.

AND SO IT ALSO MEANS THAT THEIR RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES

WERE CHANGED BY THE TSUNAMI.

Narrator: THE DESTRUCTION CAUSED BY THE SANTORINI ERUPTION

AND TSUNAMI CAUSED A PERIOD OF DECLINE

THAT LASTED FOR CENTURIES.

OVER TIME, THE MEMORY OF THIS TRAUMATIC EVENT

MAY HAVE MORPHED INTO THE FANTASTICAL STORY OF ATLANTIS.

BUT ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK THE REAL-LIFE MINOANS

MAY HAVE SURVIVED ONLY TO FACE A MORE TERRIBLE ENEMY.

CAN NEW EVIDENCE REVEAL AN EVEN DARKER CAUSE OF THE DOWNFALL

OF THE MINOANS?

AND WHAT FATE WOULD BEFALL THE MAGNIFICENT PALACE CITY

OF KNOSSOS?

Narrator: 3,500 YEARS AGO, A HUGE TSUNAMI HIT THE ISLAND OF CRETE.

IT DEVASTATED THE SOPHISTICATED WORLD OF THE MINOANS.

AND MAY HAVE EVEN INSPIRED THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS.

BUT AMID THE DESTRUCTION,

ONE PLACE APPEARS TO HAVE SURVIVED A LITTLE LONGER.

THE PALACE CITY OF KNOSSOS.

SO WHAT FINALLY BROUGHT DOWN EUROPE'S FIRST

GREAT CIVILIZATION?

LEADING ARCHAEOLOGIST DR. MARIA VLAZAKI

HAS COME TO THE MINOAN TOWN OF KYDONIA.

HERE, SHOCKING DISCOVERIES REVEAL THAT A NEW PEOPLE

WERE NOW IN CHARGE ON CRETE.

AMONG THE RUINS BURIED DEEP BENEATH THE MODERN CITY,

MARIA FINDS EVIDENCE FOR A CHANGE IN ARCHITECTURAL STYLE.

ON TOP OF THE SMALL, INTERLOCKING ROOMS

TYPICAL OF THE MINOAN DESIGN SEEN AT KNOSSOS,

A NEW LAYOUT EMERGES.

SO WHO WERE THESE NEW PEOPLE THAT CONSTRUCTED THESE BUILDINGS

RIGHT ON TOP OF THE MINOAN TOWN?

MARIA EXAMINES THE SKULL OF A 16-YEAR-OLD GIRL.

IT DATES TO THE SAME PERIOD AS THE CHANGE IN ARCHITECTURE.

A TIME WHEN TRACES OF THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION BEGIN TO DISAPPEAR.

THE SKULL HAS VICIOUS, MORTAL INJURIES.

MARIA THINKS THE WOUNDS INDICATE A HORRIFIC ACT

SOMETIMES ASSOCIATED WITH PERIODS OF SOCIAL TURMOIL.

HUMAN SACRIFICE.

THIS S A RARE, VIOLENT RITUAL

WITH JUST TWO OTHER CASES EVER FOUND ON CRETE.

SO, WHAT DROVE THE PEOPLE OF KYDONIA TO SUCH A DESPERATE ACT?

MARIA BELIEVES THIS GIRL WAS KILLED BY HER OWN PEOPLE

AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE STRUCK THE TOWN.

ALONGSIDE THE SKULL, INVESTIGATORS FIND ANIMAL BONES.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THIS VICTIM

WASN'T A MINOAN.

MARIA BELIEVES THIS INDICATES THAT A NEW PEOPLE,

THE MYCENAEANS, HAD ARRIVED IN CRETE.

THE MYCENAEANS WERE A CIVILIZATION

ON THE RISE OVER ON MAINLAND GREECE.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE THEY SET SAIL FOR CRETE IN HUGE NUMBERS

AFTER THE SANTORINI ERUPTION AND TSUNAMI

TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE STRUGGLING MINOANS.

THEY BUILT UP TOWNS LIKE KYDONIA TO RIVAL KNOSSOS

WITH NEW STYLES OF ARCHITECTURE AND STRONG BELIEF SYSTEMS.

EVENTUALLY, THE MYCENAEANS EVEN TOOK CONTROL OF KNOSSOS,

TRIGGERING THE END OF MINOAN SOCIETY.

THE AGE OF THE MINOANS WAS OVER,

BUT THE STORIES OF THIS ONCE GREAT PEOPLE

WOULD ENDURE FAR LONGER THAN KNOSSOS ITSELF.

THEIR CAPITAL CITY, THE INSPIRATION BEHIND LEGENDS,

WAS PRESERVED IN THE GREEK IMAGINATION FOR ETERNITY.

Fitzsimons: THE MINOANS SHOULD BE REMEMBERED FOR

THEIR FANTASTIC ARCHITECTURE,

BRILLIANT ARTWORK,

THEIR SOPHISTICATED ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM,

AND THEIR EXTENSIVE AND WIDE-REACHING TRADE NETWORKS

THAT BROUGHT MINOAN CULTURE

ACROSS THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN,

WHERE IT DOMINATED FOR CENTURIES.

Narrator: THE STORY OF KNOSSOS IS LIKE NOTHING ELSE IN ANCIENT HISTORY.

A UNIQUE PALACE CITY,

THE CAPITAL OF THE LOST MINOAN PEOPLE.

KNOSSOS WAS THE HEART OF AN EMPIRE.

A PIONEER OF ARCHITECTURAL INGENUITY.

AND A SURVIVOR OF CATASTROPHE.

KNOSSOS.

THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT OF EUROPE'S FIRST

GREAT CIVILIZATION.

♪♪

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