Knossos, Palace. 1600 – 1450 BC The Tripartite Shrine (or Grandstand) Fresco is an exceptional example of the so-called “miniature” frescoes that developed as a technique alongside the large-scale frescoes during the Neopalatial period, and were used to depict multi-figured scenes. Together with the miniature Sacred Grove and Dance Fresco, it adorned wide bands of …

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Knossos, House of the Frescoes. 1600 – 1500 BC The Blue Bird is part of the “Monkeys and Birds Fresco” that decorated the walls of a room in the House of the Frescoes, on the west side of the Palace of Knossos. It is one of the three framed scenes which were originally restored from …

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Knossos, Palace. 1600 – 1450 BC The Prince of the Lilies is perhaps the most famous of all the Minoan frescoes. It depicts a young man in high plaster relief against a red ground. The life-size male figure, comprised of three non-joining pieces, is wearing a colourful loincloth and belt, and a majestic crown of …

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Knossos, Palace. 1650-1500 BC This vessel in the shape of a lioness’s head, made of translucent white limestone, is an exquisite example of the Minoan stone-carvers’ skill and naturalism. The eyes and muzzle were inlaid with coloured materials. The excavator, Sir Arthur Evans, says that a small fragment of red jasper was preserved at the …

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Arkalochori Cave. 1700-1450 BC This large and impressive group of objects was found in a small cave near the village of Arkalochori in Central Crete. The cave was investigated for the first time in 1913 by Iosif Hatzidakis, and 22 years later by Spyridon Marinatos and Nikolaos Platon. This is probably the largest Minoan assemblage …

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Sellopoulo, Tomb 4. 1400 – 1375 BC Among the most magnificent pieces of precious jewellery in this case are the gold necklaces of 27 beads decorated with relief papyrus flowers. The beads are made of two pieces of gold sheet joined at the edges. Three different decorative patterns were delicately hammered into the back of …

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Isopata Tomb. 1450 – 1400 BC The elegant stone vessels in this case are made of translucent alabaster and imported from Egypt. They were placed as grave goods in a large tomb at Isopata, roughly midway between the Palace of Knossos and the harbour of Katsambas. This was the largest known Late Minoan tomb in …

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Katsambas, Tomb B. 1400-1375 BC This Egyptian amphora with the hieroglyphic inscription is made of translucent alabaster. Its shape is reminiscent of clay Canaanite amphoras. The royal cartouche, the incised frame containing the name of the pharaoh, on the shoulder of the vase shows that it was produced in a royal workshop during the reign …

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Zafer Papoura, Knossos. 1450-1400 BC Boar’s-tusk helmets are made of rows of wild boars’ tusks attached to a leather or cloth base, with cheek guards to protect the warrior’s face. This type of helmet is described in detail in Homer’s Iliad, being worn by the Cretan hero Meriones. This particular example was found with a …

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Tholos tomb at Kamilari. 1600-1500 BC The model of four young male dancers from the tholos tomb of Kamilari in the Mesara is a unique work of Minoan coroplastic art. It depicts four young men performing a circle dance inside a low circular enclosure crowned with horns of consecration. The naked dancers have their hands …

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