Home to the legendary Minoan king, King Minos, the Palace at Knossos was originally constructed as a labyrinth-like structure containing both residential and administrative spaces. The palace still stands today but with significant ruin. Below is a restored view of the original palace.

Module 4 travels to the Ancient Aegean and the name is derived from the area dominated by the Aegean Sea.  It encompassed the Cyclades Islands which contain multiple islands such as Santorini and Syra, the Minoan civilization which was located on the island of Crete, and the Mycenaeans who were located on mainland Greece. These civilizations predated Ancient Greece and therefore established some innovations that the Greeks later appropriated. Let's look at our timeline and remember that Modules 2, 3, and 4 overlapped in time. During approximately 3000 BCE-1000 BCE, Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Ancient Aegean saw thriving civilizations with relatively close distance between each one.

In the Illiad, Homer called the fortified citadel of Tiryns "the city of the great walls". Legend stated that the structure was built by the mythic Cyclops people due to the size of each stone in the palace. The use of large roughly cut stone blocks is now referred to as Cyclopean masonry referencing this same legend.

Visit the site of The National Archaeological Museum to see their collection of artifacts from the Acropolis and other surrounding Ancient Greek ruins.