Chronicle | The Last Days of Minos

Was the legend of the Minotaur inspired by the worship of bulls at Knossos on Crete? Does the volcanic island of Santorini provide clues about the fabled city of Atlantis? Magnus Magnusson investigates through a detailed tour of Knossos and its archaeological finds, which date from 1700 to 1380BC. He also explores the extraordinary life of Sir Arthur Evans, the archaeologist who discovered Knossos and the Minoan civilisation.

While excavating this site, Sir Arthur Evans lived at the nearby Villa Ariadne. At one point during World War II, this villa was the headquarters of a German commander, General Kreipe, prior to his kidnap at the hands of Greek guerrillas, who were assisted by writer and soldier Patrick Leigh Fermor. (The fascinating story of the villa was told by writer and critic Dilys Powell in her book 'The Villa Ariadne', published in 1973.) The building has seen more peaceful and scholarly activity recently as the Cretan base of the British School of Athens.