The Palace of Minos at Knossos (Digging for the Past) [Hardcover]

Chris Scarre (Author), Rebecca Stefoff (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up | Series: Digging for the Past

On March 23, 1900, Arthur John Evans and his staff began to excavate on Crete, looking for the fabled site of Knossos, where an extraordinary civilization, a precursor to classical Greece, was rumored to have existed. Almost from the first shovel stroke, artifacts began to emerge. Evans realized that here was "an extraordinary phenomenon, nothing Greek, nothing Roman. A wholly unexplored world." The Palace of Minos at Knossos recounts the exciting story of uncovering a remarkable society lost to the world for 3,500 years, from its initial discovery through its excavation to the structure we see today. Sidebars on archaeological techniques, illustrations of the sites, tables, and diagrams throughout provide a wealth of information on the Palace. The use of artifacts and other "documents" recovered from the Palace bring out the voices of the people of the past, offering clues to who they were and how they lived. The Palace of Minos at Knossos concludes with an interview with archaeologist Chris Scarre who talks about the misperceptions about Knossos and what we really know about its culture.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up--This book offers an introductory yet thorough look at the Minoan ruins of Knossos on Crete, where legend has it that King Minos kept the mythological Minotaur, half man and half bull. The first chapter describes the site as it existed before the excavations by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, which began in 1900. The following two chapters tell of his fantastic finds and the palace's extensive ruins, which he began to uncover after working only a week at the site. Evans's attempts to try to understand and interpret the Minoan culture are discussed, as well as his partial reconstruction of some of the important rooms and staircases. The concluding chapter discusses the latest interpretations and findings at Knossos. Many excellent photos and diagrams, mainly in color; time lines on the site's archaeological history and on the Minoan civilization's place in ancient history; and explanations of archaeological stratigraphy and of the mysterious Linear B writing are included. The book is concise, clear, entertaining, and factual. It is useful for reports and a good read on an interesting subject.--Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
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Review

"Illustrated with scenes of Evans at work, detailed diagrams, views of ancient artifacts and more, this helps to put a human face on our study of the past, while highlighting one of the past century's most important, and tantalizing, archaeological finds." -- Kirkus Reviews

"The book is concise, clear, entertaining, and factual. It is useful for reports and a good read on an interesting subject." -- School Library Journal

"There's lots to marvel at in this tour of the ancient palace at Knossos, Crete. The authors illustrate their story with colorful photographs of enormous pithoi, frescoes with bull-leapers and scenes from Arthur Evan's excavation site. A sidebar about architect Michael Ventris's decipherment of Linear B, the musterious language discovered at Knossos, will intrigue junior code-breakers." --Odyssey

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195142721
• ISBN-13: 978-0195142723
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #858,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars This one is worth the money. I know, I just purchased my second copy., June 11, 2011

By 

David Ecale - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Palace of Minos at Knossos (Digging for the Past) (Kindle Edition)

I purchased this book many years ago as a paperback. It is a very good review of the construction and archaeology of the Palace of Minos at Knossos. The only negative that I found in the book was that it was not the version written by Sir Arthur Evans. I have the original by Sir Arthur Evans (volume 2 parts 1 & 2 of the 4 volumes in my private library) and it is absolutely spectacular. This book is a very good general substitute (I repurchased it as a Kindle edition) and is a good read. My paperback version was falling apart & I wanted to have another copy for follow-up reading and review.

For follow-up reading, I recommend: 1) Illios: City & Country of the Trojans and Mycene & Tyrens, both by Heinrich Schlieman; 2) The Palace of Minos at Knossos (in 4 volumes) by Sir Arthur Evans; 3) The Illiad & The Odyssey by Homer (translated by Richard Lattimore).

Special notes: There is one other copy of the Illiad that may prick your interest, if you can find it. It was done by T. E. Lawrence (and, yes, that translation was done by the Lawrence of Arabia). Also, if you have a chance, take a look at the props in the TARDIS from the first ever episode of Doctor Who. The throne from Knossos is replicated and in the TARDIS as a chair.