The “Throne Room” at Knossos. Believed by some to have been King Minos’s council room and court of law — the (surprisingly small) alabaster throne and benches are on the right. Other theories hold that this room may have been used for sacred rites by a priestess, with the griffins in the frescoes having goddess associations.
The “master impression,” an intricate clay seal found in a midden from the period, now in the Chania Archaeological Museum. Accompanying museum notes say the seal shows “a low hill by the sea” and multistory buildings with “horns of consecration” that would indicate the ancient site of Kydonia: “The landscape is identical with the topography of the Kastelli area.” 15th century B.C.
View of the harbour from the Kastelli hilltop.
Excavations in Haniá (Chania) — ancient site of Kydonía.
April 2009