Classical Archaeology: Knossos

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Classical Archaeology
1. Early excavations at Knossos; how they differ from contemporary methods
Knossos is situated on Crete, a Greek island. The site is considered the oldest city in Europe. It is believed that Knossos was a residence of the legendary King Minos and was a significant city on the Crete island. The site was initially excavated by an amateur archaeologist called Minos Kalokairinos. However, his activities were stopped by the landowners. Later on, the English archaeologist Arthur Evans is credited with unearthing the palace of Knossos. His excavations occurred in the 1900s. Evans’ large-scale excavations involved a lot of digging and covered more than 30 years. He employed two foremen to oversee the digging activities of tens of workers. Evans used stratigraphy in his excavations to discover the ancient ruins of this Minoan civilization. This method involved digging and examining the successive soil layers (Hood et al. np). However, modern excavation methods differ considerably from Evan's 20th-century techniques.
Contemporary methods employ a thorough and careful removal of sediment samples with a lot of emphases placed on artifacts precise location. The methods are non-destructive and involve techniques such as soil and plant surveys, remote sensing and surface archaeology to determine the excavation locations. The modern methodology ensures examinations of large areas. Before any excavation occurs, the precise locations are determined to avoid any random digging of archaeological sites (Jrank np). This method helps preserve artifacts during excavation.
3. Challenges in excavating the Knossos palace and how these were solved
Excavations of Knossos posed various challenges to Evans and his team. One, initially when the excavation began, Evans had not established the site’s stratigraphy. They discovered tablets in the course of digging. However, a lack of the site’s stratigraphy made it challenging to record the location the tablets were found and hence determine the dates. Evans looked to solve the tablet's date issue while restoring the Knossos palace. Another challenge was the tablets were fragile. This situation meant the unskilled, random diggers might damage these precious artifacts. Evans resolved this by hiring an expert in delicate excavations called Ioannis Papadakis (Kavoulaki 269). This move helped reduce the damages of these Fresco-plastered tablets. As a result, many tablets were saved from damage.
6. Heinrich Schliemann’s initial approach to the Hissarlik site
The location of the ancient city of troy mentioned in Homer’s Illiad captured the fascination of many archaeologists. It is this curiosity that led Heinrich Schliemann, a German archaeologist, to take a trip...