It's the Entrance on History Hit.

I'm Tristan Hughes your host and in today's episode where we're going to bronze age

crete, we're talking all about the extraordinary menowans and their most famous site, the

site of Kinosos.

The home of the mythical King Minos, the Minotaur and the Labyrinth.

But what has the archaeology revealed about Bronze Age Kinosos?

What might the historical basis be for the well-known Minotaur myth?

What to learn more about this, I had the pleasure of heading up to Oxford to the Ashmolean

Museum a few weeks ago to interview the curator, Dr Andrew Shappland.

And this was good timing because the Ashmolean, they can't really have an exhibition ongoing

all about Bronze Age crete, all about Kinosos and exploring this historical basis.

How the Minotaur myth becomes so associated with this place, with Bronze Age Kinosos.

This was a fascinating chat, we cover things varying from the Minotaur myth to depictions

of bulls, on frescoes and on various pieces of pottery.

We look at the depictions of octopuses too, we look at the whole layout of the palace, this

great central palace of Bronze Age Kinosos, but also the wider settlement too, that is often

overlooked.

This was brilliant and I really do hope you enjoy.

So without further ado to talk all about Bronze Age Kinosos, here's Andrew.

Andrew Kinosos as a place, it's so extraordinary a place where the archaeology, it's become so

intertwined with mythology.

Absolutely, but that's no accident because when Sir Arthur Evans excavated the site, he was

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