Introduction
Students have read about the Minoan civilization that thrived on the island of Crete from 2800 B.C. to 1400 B.C. In this exercise, students will research the Minoan palace ruins at Knossos to understand the geography and people of Minoa and the palaces they built.

Lesson Description
Students will use information from the Dilos Holiday World Travel Pages Web site to learn about the Minoan civilization. Students will read about the palace ruins at Knossos, the geography of the area, and the Minoan people. Students will then answer four questions and apply this information by writing a newspaper article about Atlantis being found to be an ancient Minoan civilization.

Instruction Objectives

1. Students will be able to describe where and how the people of the Minoan civilization lived.
2. Students will be able to use this knowledge to imagine they are newspaper reporters assigned to write a story about Atlantis being found to be an ancient Minoan civilization.

Student Web Activity Answers

1. Sir Arthur Evans, the British archaeologist who excavated the palace of Knossos, called the civilization Minoan after Minos, the legendary king of Crete.
2. Geographically, Minoa was located at the crossroads linking three continents—Asia, Africa, and Europe—and their cultural elements. They traded and shared with mainland Greeks, Mesopotamia, and Egypt as the world's first important seafaring civilization. Cultural influences of Minoa include art, the use of iron, cremation of the dead, and their exquisite funerary urns. Additionally, Minoan gold and bronze work was imitated by the Greek artisians.
3. All the Minoan palaces had buildings that were arranged around a central court and facades of closely fitted blocks of porous stones. They also contained the following features: a large number of magazines; sacred rooms; different levels connected by staircases; monumental entrances; processional paths; workshops; hot and cold running water supplies and drainage systems; flush toilets; and fresco paintings on the walls.
4. The first destruction was probably by earthquake. Around 1450 B.C. the volcano at Santorini devastatingly erupted. Only the palace at Knossos was reconstructed. The final destruction occurred around 1380, after which none of the palaces were ever inhabited again.
5. Students' articles will vary.

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