Knossos

Knossos (Ancient Greek: Κνωσσός, romanized: Knōssós; Greek: Κνωσός, romanized: Knōsós; Linear B: 𐀒𐀜𐀰 Ko-no-so) is an archaeological site and ancient urban centre in Crete, Greece. It is located within the southern periphery of Heraklion, about 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the city's historic centre. The site was occupied from the Neolithic period into the first millennium AD and became the largest and best-known centre of the Minoan civilisation.

Knossos is often described as the oldest city in Europe. The claim is based on the combination of its early Neolithic foundation, its central role in the Minoan civilisation, widely regarded as the earliest advanced civilisation in Europe, and the long continuity of occupation in the Knossos valley, which is now part of the urban area of Heraklion. It was also one of the earliest known Neolithic settlements on Crete.

The site is dominated by the monumental Palace of Minos. Like other Minoan palaces, the complex is generally interpreted as an administrative, economic, religious and ceremonial centre. Its role as a royal residence is debated. The first palace was built around 1900 BC on a hill that had already been occupied for several millennia. It was rebuilt and expanded after a major destruction around 1700 BC, then remained the central monument of Knossos until its final destruction in the Late Bronze Age, usually dated to about 1350 BC.

Knossos is closely associated with the Greek myths of Minos, Pasiphaë, Ariadne, Theseus, Daedalus, Icarus and the Minotaur. In later Greek tradition, the complex plan of the palace was remembered as the Labyrinth. In 2025, Knossos was inscribed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Minoan Palatial Centres, together with Phaistos, Malia, Zakros, Zominthos and Kydonia.

Text adapted from “Knossos” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Knossos ranks #13 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #3 of the 134 mapped in Greece. Founded c. 1900 BC, it is older than 99% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 4 atlas entries founded in the 19th century BC. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 297,174 times in the last 60 days, more than 99% of the atlas. Wikidata records about 860,000 visitors in 2018. 4 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. See how Greece compares in the castle statistics.

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