Throne Room, Knossos

A ceremonial chamber built during the 15th century BC within the Bronze Age palace of Knossos, Crete, considered the oldest throne room in Europe. Unearthed in 1900 by Arthur Evans, it contains an alabaster seat on the north wall flanked by painted griffins, with gypsum benches on three sides. The room was part of a larger suite including an anteroom and an inner chamber that may have served as a chapel. Its purpose remains debated: Evans interpreted it as a priest-king's seat, while scholars Reusch and Matz proposed it was a sanctuary of a female divinity where a priestess sat as her impersonator. The room may date to the Mycenaean takeover after 1450 BC.