Town Sign of the minoan city of Knosos, Knossos, City Limits, Island of Crete, Greece, Europe. Photo by Willy Matheisl

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Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete, probably the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization and culture. It is a popular tourist destination today, as it is near the main city of Heraklion and has been substantially, if imaginatively "rebuilt", making the site accessible to the casual visitor in a way that a field of unmarked ruins is not. The city of Knossos remained important through the Classical and Roman periods, but its population shifted to the new Arab town of Handaq (modern Heraklion) during the 9th century AD. By the 13th century, it was called Makryteikhos 'Long Wall'; the bishops of Gortyn continued to call themselves Bishops of Knossos until the 19th century.[1] Today, the name is used only for the archaeological site situated in the suburbs of Heraklion.

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Size: 3925px × 5888px
Location: knossos, crete, greece
Photo credit: © willy matheisl / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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