Facilities

The Hostel comprises six rooms, which have been recently refurnished and provide a simple, clean and warm stay. Accommodation in Rooms 1, 4, 5 and 6 is shared while Rooms 2 and 3 have a single bed. The hostel has also a dinning room, a fully equipped kitchen and washing machines. It is surrounded by a lovely garden. It is highly advised to book well in advance for any hope of ensuring a choice of dates. Bookings are preferably made through e-mail to the Knossos Curator. Only members of the British School at Athens may stay at the Knossos Hostel. To become a member please get in contact with the Assistant Secretary of the School Mrs Vicki Tzavara. The price per night is 25 euros (breakfast included).

The Library serves as a reference library to assist in research while working in at Knossos and elsewhere in Crete. It houses most publications on Cretan archaeology and history and selective comparative material from Aegean, Egyptian and Near Eastern sites. There is also a collection of traveller’s accounts dating back to the 18th century and copies of Evans’, Mackenzie’s’ and Fyfe’s excavation notebooks. Digital materials: eBooks and journals plus databases are available through the Internet. The catalogue of the Library is integrated into the online AMBROSIA BSA/ASCSA library catalogue.

The Stratigraphical Museum houses the historic collections of material from excavations at Knossos. The core of the collection consists of the boxes of material, principally pottery, kept by Evans from his excavations at the palace and elsewhere in the Knossos valley. These are supplemented by material from the many British excavations at Knossos that have occurred since Evans’ time and more limited bodies of material from sites elsewhere in Crete. Although, the most valuable individual items from these excavations are kept in the Herakleion Museum, the collections in the Knossos Stratigraphical Museum provide a vital resource for researchers. As well as being an unparalleled reference collection, which has been the basis of many leading archaeologists’ training in Cretan material culture, they are constantly in the process of publication and reassessment, the results of which have major impacts on our understanding of the historical development of Crete and the wider Aegean. The Stratigraphical Museum also provides study areas for on-going British, Greek and international field projects. As such it contributes significantly to the general progress of research as well as the close and effective interactions the School enjoys with colleagues from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Greek Universities.

Access to any part of the Knossos Stratigraphical Museum is restricted to those with necessary permits, issued in advance by the British School at Athens. To study material in the Knossos Stratigraphical Museum, complete the Application to Study at the Stratigraphical Museum in Knossos.