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. 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 and send it to the Knossos Curator (knossoscurator@bsa.ac.uk) in word doc format.