Throne Room Knossos

Behind an antechamber, this beautifully proportioned room is separated by a pillar from a sunken basin that may have been used for purification rituals preceding ceremonies held in the presence of the king. The ruler may have been seated on the alabaster chair ('throne') to the right, with followers squatting on the stone benches lining the walls, which are decorated with frescoes of plants and griffins (mythical beasts regarded by the Minoans as sacred).