Minoan architecture is the Bronze Age building tradition of Crete, best known through the palace complex at Knossos, first built around 1900 BC and rebuilt on a larger scale after a major destruction around 1700 BC. Minoan palaces such as Knossos were organized as multistory wings of rooms wrapped around a large open rectangular central court, and shared a common vocabulary of distinctive spaces including the lustral basin, a sunken chamber reached by steps, and the pillar crypt. The Palace of Knossos alone covered roughly 150,000 square feet and functioned as an administrative, economic, religious and ceremonial center for a surrounding town. The palace is also notable for one of the earliest known plumbing and drainage systems in the world, with pipes carrying fresh water in and waste out, including flushing toilets.
Cross-Tradition Connections
Influenced
Mycenaean palatial architecture derived significant technique and decorative vocabulary from Minoan Crete.
Notable Examples
The Bronze Age Minoan palace complex on Crete, the type site of Minoan architecture.
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