The Palace spread over six acres of land with heights reaching four stories. It was constructed in a labyrinth, maze-like pattern and provided housing for about 100,000 people. Colorful friezes and frescoes, or bands of designs, figures and paintings on plaster, fill the walls of the palace and depict life from this era. A famous fresco found at the Palace of Knossos. Both male and female bull leapers are pictured.
Pictures range from animals and people to gods and various ceremonies.
These images as well as the palace itself, which was even equipped with plumbing, point to an efficient, advanced and sophisticated society. Pioneering out of the strictly agricultural way of life held by surrounding cultures, Crete thrived on trade, and became an affluent civilization. Further examination of the Palace s interior d cor reveals that war was not a common theme and women were depicted almost as frequently as men. This suggests an innovative culture that valued peace and substantial gender equality even when surrounded by war and oppression. Throughout the Minoan Period, the Palace of Knossos was destroyed and rebuilt a number of times due to natural disasters, including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.