Europe's oldest city and the ceremonial centre of Minoan civilisation, occupied from around 2700 BC until its destruction around 1380 BC. The site covers several hectares and includes the reconstructed palace — with its famous red columns, lustral basins, and the grand staircase descending into the domestic quarters — as well as extensive storage magazines and outlying structures.
Arthur Evans, who excavated here from 1900, controversially reconstructed parts of the palace in reinforced concrete and repainted the frescoes based on surviving fragments. The reconstructions are often criticised but they do make it easier to understand the scale and layout. Go early to beat the tour groups; the site can be overwhelming at midday in summer.
story: "Evans named the civilisation 'Minoan' after the mythical King Minos, whose labyrinth supposedly held the Minotaur. Whether the winding palace corridors inspired the myth, or the myth shaped how people remembered the ruins, is one of the pleasanter puzzles of ancient history."