The Minoans were Europe's first civilization and the Palace at Knossos on the Greek island of Crete was their crowning architectural achievement. The current site allows a snapshot of a flourishing Bronze Age society, brought more vividly to life by the controversial restorations and reconstructions of British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, and we hear how catastrophic destruction brought it all to an end. But this doesn't really tell the whole story. In this lecture we will go beyond this snapshot, outlining how Knossos developed into the pre-eminent power on the island in the first place and looking at the important role the palace played even after the Minoan civilization ended.

About this instructor:

Dr. Chris Adamson is a classical archaeologist and educator who studied Classics at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and obtained his Master's and Doctoral degrees in Classical Archaeology at the University of Oxford. He specializes in prehistoric and early Greece, from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age, and his research explores the ways in which shared cultural memories of the past allowed early Greek communities to forge a sense of common identity. Currently, he is a Program Manager with Bridgemark Education, an international education provider, and a lecturer for University Education, a charity which strives to raise academic aspirations and attainment for underprivileged teenagers.