Editing Knossos (section)

===Frescoes===
{{main|List of Aegean frescos|Minoan painting}}
[[File:Armon Knossos P1060030.JPG|thumb|Bull-leaping fresco now in the [[Heraklion Archaeological Museum]], the duplicate shown here is fixed to the wall of the upper throne room]]
[[File:Delfiny w Knossos.jpg|thumb|Dolphins fresco]]
The palace at Knossos used considerable amounts of colour, as did Greek buildings in the classical period. In the EM Period, the walls and pavements were coated with a pale red derived from red ochre. In addition to the background colouring, the walls displayed [[fresco]] panel [[mural]]s, entirely of red. In the subsequent MM Period, with the development of the art, white and black were added, and then blue, green, and yellow. The pigments were derived from natural materials, such as ground [[hematite]]. Outdoor panels were painted on fresh [[stucco]] with the motif in relief; indoor, on fresh, pure plaster, softer than the plaster with additives ordinarily used on walls.<ref>{{harvnb|Evans|1921|pp=532–536}}.</ref>

The decorative motifs were generally bordered scenes: [[human]]s, [[legendary creature]]s, [[animal]]s, rocks, vegetation, and marine life. Many of the depicted motifs had symbolic meanings and are thought to have corresponded to the activities and rituals carried out in the respective rooms.<ref>{{harvnb|Günkel-Maschek|2020}}<!--passim--></ref> The earliest paintings in the palace imitated pottery motifs. Most have been reconstructed from various numbers of flakes fallen to the floor. Evans had various technicians and artists work on the project, some artists, some chemists, and restorers. The symmetry and use of templates made possible a degree of reconstruction beyond what was warranted by only the flakes. For example, if evidence of the use of a certain template existed scantily in one place, the motif could be supplied from the template found somewhere else. Like the contemporary murals in the funerary art of the Egyptians, certain conventions were used that also assisted prediction. For example, male figures are shown with darker or redder skin than female figures.

Some archaeological authors have objected that Evans and his restorers were not discovering the palace and civilization as it was, but were creating a modern artifact based on contemporary art and architecture.<ref>{{harvnb|Gere|2009|loc=Chapter Four: The Concrete Labyrinth: 1914–1935}}.</ref>