Knossos Palace Tour

Knossos, the Theatre, the Customs House and the Royal Road

The Theatre and the Customs House

The palace and the “Customs House” viewed from the north (photo). The Customs House contained a lustral basin surrounded by columns. Evans believed that, since the building was at the end of the road leading from the harbour to the palace, it was used as a customs house.

Knossos - North View (panoramic photo)

The Theatre and the Royal Road

The square Theatre lies north of the Palace of Knossos, in front of the north magazines. Various enactments, probably religious in nature, may have been held here. The theatre steps seated 400 people.

The Royal Road leads to the Little Palace, now closed to the public. This lay in the aristocratic neighbourhood of the town of Knossos and may have housed members of the royal family. The Little Palace was as luxurious as the large palace and served the same purpose, but was constructed on a smaller scale. Along the Royal Road were the luxury homes of the Knossos elite.

Knossos map : Theatre and Royal Road = No 14

Here we come to the end of our tour of the Minoan Palace of Knossos. However, no tour is complete without a visit to the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, where all the finds from Evans’ and subsequent excavations are held.

• NEXT: Caravan Serai and the Royal Tomb