Ancient History assignment 2

By: Bo Davids, Loïs de Lang, Vera Kooy, Tatyana Rihan and Edgar Eleveld

Introduction

This short documentary is a message to UNESCO, arguing for the placement of the Minoan
Palace ruins of Knossos on the UNESCO world heritage list. 
UNESCO presents us with a list of criteria for what constitutes a world heritage site, with every
site having to adhere to at least one of these points to qualify.1 However, at least four of the
criteria are compatible with the ruins of Knossos, making the needed placement on the list almost
irrefutable. 

About the ruins

The ruins of Knossos are an ancient palace that was built somewhere around 1700 BCE, as a
rebuild of a former palace that was most likely destroyed during an earthquake. This palace was
the most notable seat of a settlement in Minoan civilization. This Minoan civilization predates
the mainland classical Greeks, and has influenced what we now know as ancient Greek culture in
tremendous ways. The Minoan civilization is named after king Minos, an important figure in
Greek mythology, being sung off in Homer’s odyssey, along with the city Knossos. It was also
Knossos which was said to have been the civilization that forced Athens to annually surrender
twenty youths to be slaughtered in the labyrinth by a minotaur. Actually, this story is more
closely connected to the palace ruins, as it is believed that this was the building that actually gave
rise to the idea of the labyrinth, with its complicated hallways and corridors.2 

The four criteria

The first point that UNESCO presents us with reads: “A site which exhibits an important
interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on
developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape
design.”
This is very applicable to Knossos, as this Minoan palace represents all parts of Minoan
architecture, a style that was later spread from Crete by means of trade, and influenced all of
later ancient Greek architecture greatly. It can be seen as a proto-Greek sort of architecture, and
is therefore incredibly important as an exhibit of an interchange of human values, as we can see
where a very recognizable style of building came from.
1
https://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/ consulted on October 11, 2021
2
https://www.worldhistory.org/knossos/ consulted on October 11, 2021
The second point is that the site: “Bears a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural
tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.”
This is a very self-explanatory point, as there is little which gives us a better view into the
Minoan culture than these ruins in Knossos. 

Furthermore, the third point reads: “a site which is an outstanding example of a type of building,
architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in
human history.”
Knossos of course illustrates the architectural ensemble of Minoan culture. This can certainly be
categorized as a significant stage in human history as the Minoans have been of major influence
to the Greeks, who in turn have been influential on the Romans. And without a doubt, the
Romans have been one of the greatest ancient influences on modern Western culture. Although
not every facet of Minoan civilization or architecture has directly been implemented in modern
societies, through a chain of developments, this early Greek civilization cannot be overlooked,
and neither can its most prominent archaeological site.3 

The fourth and final point reads: “a site which is directly or tangibly associated with events or
living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding
universal significance.”
With Knossos being directly named in the odyssey, arguably the most famous ancient Greek text,
and an influence on storytelling and literary culture to this day, it is impossible to say that there
is no tangible association with a literary work of outstanding universal significance. Furthermore,
the image of the minotaur is something that very few people are unfamiliar with, and this figure
originates from Knossos, along with his famous labyrinth.4 

In addition to the criteria put forward by UNESCO, it is also not unimportant to add that there is
to this date not a single world heritage site which is connected to Minoan civilization, which only
strengthens our claim that it is important that this site, Knossos, is added to the list. 

Conclusion

In short: we believe that the ruins of Knossos should be added to the UNESCO list of world
heritage. The site is a beacon of ancient Minoan civilization, has a tangible connection to modern
society and has spawned one of the most recognizable mythological figures. There seems to be
little reason not to consider Knossos world heritage.

3
https://www.worldhistory.org/knossos/ consulted on October 11, 2021
4
Rodney Castleden. (2012) 2012. The Knossos Labyrinth. 1st ed. Taylor and Francis.
https://www.perlego.com/book/1684297/the-knossos-labyrinth-pdf
Bibliography (used for both the script and the making of the video)

Castleden, Rodney. (2012) 2012. The Knossos Labyrinth. 1st ed. Taylor and Francis.
https://www.perlego.com/book/1684297/the-knossos-labyrinth-pdf

https://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/ consulted on October 11, 2021

https://www.worldhistory.org/knossos/ consulted on October 11, 2021

2021. Youtube.Com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PybCKpaw3U

2021. Youtube.Com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtAEhJ2Z0RM

2021. Youtube.Com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p21yZQjDg2c

team, Musement. 2021. "Knossos & Heraklion Tour From Chania | Musement". Musement.
https://www.musement.com/us/crete/knossos-heraklion-tour-from-chania-8-123470/

VG, Home, and Da perdere. 2021. "Palace Of Knossos (Crete) - Vacanzegreche".