Editing Minoan civilization (section)

=== Palaces ===
[[File:Pithoi storage jars at Knossos.jpg|thumb|alt=Three large, clay storage jars|Storage jars (pithoi, πίθοι) at Knossos]]
[[File:Reconstruccio Knossos.jpg|thumb|Reconstruction of the Palace of [[Knossos]]]]
[[File:Knossos sewers PA067399.JPG|thumb|Sewers of the Palace of Knossos]]

The Minoans famously built large complexes referred to as palaces. However, despite their name, it is generally agreed that they did not primarily serve as royal residences. The best known of them are at [[Knossos]], [[Phaistos]], [[Zakros]], and [[Malia (archaeological site)|Malia]].

Minoan palaces consist of wings arranged around an open rectangular court. The wings are often multi-story, with interior and exterior [[staircase]]s, [[lightwell]]s, massive [[column]]s, and large storage chambers. The various palaces have a fairly uniform style, though each has unique features. They are typically aligned with their surrounding topography, in particular with nearby sacred mountains. For instance, the palace at Phaistos appears to align with [[Mount Ida (Crete)|Mount Ida]] and Knossos is aligned with [[Mount Juktas]],<ref>Preziosi, D. & Hitchcock, L.A. (1999) p. 86</ref> both on a north–south axis.

The first palaces are generally dated to the MM IB period. However, they were not a spontaneous development but rather the culmination of a longer architectural tradition. The palace style has precedents in Early Minoan construction styles and earlier buildings were sometimes incorporated in the later palaces. The palace at Malia is sometimes regarded as having achieved palacehood at the end of the Early Minoan period.<ref>D. Preziosi and L.A. Hitchcock ''Aegean Art and Architecture'' pp. 48–49, [[Oxford University Press]] (1999)</ref><ref name="Moore2015">{{cite book|author=Dudley J. Moore|title=In Search of the Classical World: An Introduction to the Ancient Aegean|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=53vWCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA12|year=2015|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|isbn=978-1-4438-8145-6|page=12}}</ref> Palaces were continually renovated and altered, with their style changing over time. For instance, early palaces had a square-within-a-square layout, while later renovations introduced more internal divisions and corridors.<ref>Preziosi, D. & Hitchcock, L.A. (1999) p. 121</ref>

The function of the palaces is a matter of debate, though it is known that they included administrative offices, [[shrine]]s, workshops and storage spaces.<ref name="Perry2012">{{cite book|author=Marvin Perry|title=Western Civilization: A Brief History, Volume I: To 1789|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YxpuCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA37|year=2012|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-1-133-71418-7|page=37}}</ref>