Phases of Palaces in Minoan Crete : Through Analysis of Central Court Length-to-Width Ratios

The definition of “palace” is one of the most controversial topics in the studies of Minoan Crete, although the importance of palaces is well known. Recent works have tended to focus only on palaces that have sufficient elements--size, architectural forms--to be worthy of the name. However, this approach cannot grasp the wider scheme of Minoan architecture that includes both palatial and buildings. An analysis of the central courts of both palaces and nonpalatial buildings presupposes that the results will provide valuable information in re-evaluating the definition of “palace”. Specifically, a comparison of length-to-width ratios, which are known to be roughly 1:2 in major palaces, showed that (1) most of the courtyards were constructed in the ratio of 1:2 and (2) this date did not reflect the conventional framework of palaces or nonpalatial buildings. These results clarify the necessity of re-examining the term “palace”. The central architectures of the Minoan civilization were more flexible and diverse than we recognize and enclose many functions among them that are merely defined by the term “palace”. It is considered that the fundamental cause of this diverse development was the social demand for the building specific to the area of construction.