Caroline in Crete
Debborah transcribed content from audio files, and added brackets, bolded content and included other references. Caroline was talking about the Knossos Urban Landscape Project.
Raluca, Cinzia and Caroline - at the beach at Amnissos, Crete (2008)
In 2008, through the British School of Athens (BSA) Debborah and I went to Crete to work on the site of Knossos. It was a more casual study season. We worked as surveyors. I think they might have opened up some test trenches, but it wasn’t a full out excavation. The plan and the goal had been to see how far the site had actually extended beyond the original (known) ancient site of course. We did spend quite a bit of time there, I mean when you live across the street from Knossos you’re going to hang out there, and that was great. That was one asset.
We would go out daily into the hills surrounding the site, do a survey, pick up what ceramics we found that had been turned up, disturbed of course, although there was nothing built up there. Also, we were looking for features that might have been ancient, that perhaps could be excavated in the future.
We got quite a bit of pottery and interesting stuff, definitely the idea I think had been to see if it was not just Minoan pottery, but pottery coming perhaps from the Near East or other cultures that had come over with trade. So, yeah that was our daily thing. We would get up there, survey, do a bit of mapping, do a bit of measuring sometimes, in terms of levels and stuff like that with the equipment - and collection, a lot of walking, a lot of trekking and a lot of collecting, which was great. It was really a kind of interesting season that was being carried out there. It was one of these add-on (seasons). I saw it posted last minute and it just sort of piqued my curiosity. (So we both applied.) There were also group trips to other sites around the Minoan centre (e.g. Phaistos).
I believe now, (there) should be (a new museum) opening this year in 2025.[1] Hopefully it all goes according to plan when we head back there in the fall. It will have a modern lab for analysis and techniques, as well as exhibits for the public to come and look at.
When we were there, essentially what you had were some very old buildings, even the one smaller mansion house went back perhaps a 100 years, so historical buildings, buildings they had always used at the actual Knossos residence, (at the little palace) so it was where you would basically have all the artifacts stored, and there was a small library and we would do our work there, in terms of ceramic analysis. and it held any papers we wrote as well. That was where your living quarters, eating quarters, your showers and that were. (i.e. dig house) So, I don’t think that is really what is being modernized. It is really this construction of a museum. So, what’s interesting is, if memory serves me correct, I’m just wondering where that would be situated compared to the (main) site and compared to the living quarters, which they do (continue to) use. So, because of COVID and everything, it has been on hold for a long time – like maybe 5 or 6 years, there have been no excavations, study seasons or any kind of research going on, so hopefully that will be revived. As far as what I liked best about that sort of excavation and time, was well Crete was just beautiful – just remarkable, and historically very important of course.
So (on our upcoming trip) hopefully we will be spending more time on Crete exploring the other parts of the island, and some of the other Minoan sites, and maybe some of the other older, pre-Minoan sites even.
So that’s the plan. Yeah, definitely to be working and living so close - also at the end of your day after you do your lab work or whatever - to be able to go to a beach and hit a nice taverna in Heraklion right there on the coast is one of the blessings of working on islands or working in Greece, because you are never far from the ocean, the water, the sea. That’s one thing. And, as well, Knossos itself is a remarkable, stunning site - very important – and you learn so much more when you are (physically) there. You know hands on with the artifacts and the collections, and I think seeing the actual layout. You have ideas from the stories of the minotaur and thinking about King Minos and the whole Minoan civilization and what goes with that part of the myths, and the actual reality of it. So, I think when you are there it gives you a different feel, it is much more vivid. It’s like the Minoan culture comes to life more.
As far as interesting stories: met some great people, international crew I would say, got some Americans, Brits, Europeans, some Spaniards, Eastern European people, a very, very mixed group age wise, great, you’re learning hands on from the professors which was an asset. Overall, it was a very special project to be part of. I don’t know if they do projects as much like that. I’m not sure. Hopefully they will get something started up again like that, it would always be really fun. Something to look forward to would be to go back and work there again on a project like that. So, that’s the plan we sort of hope for, and we will definitely be curious to check out what is happening there and how it’s kind of evolving into the 21st century too.
[1] BSA – Knossos 2025 Project https://www.bsa.ac.uk/join-us-2/knossos-2025-project/
Other References:
https://greekreporter.com/2024/09/04/knossos-archaeological-site-redesign/
https://knossos-palace.gr/2024/02/19/the-race-to-elevate-minoan-palaces-to-unesco-glory/
https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5860/
https://www.crete.pl/en/news_2981_Knossos_-_decyzja_UNESCO_w_przyszlym_roku.html - “The final decision to include the Minoan palace in Knossos on the UNESCO (World Heritage) list is expected in the summer of 2025.” How exciting, I’m sure we both will be waiting to hear the result of this!
Debborah’s description of this trip to Crete in 2008 can be found here: Minoan Adventures
