The archeologist responsible for the discovery and excavation of the Palace of Minos (located on the island of Crete) is Sir Arthur Evans (1851 , 1941) , a British archeologist mostly known for uncovering the palace of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete at Kephala Hill. Born in Nash Mills, England, Evans went on to attend Oxford and the University of Gottingen, where he began to cultivate an interest in archeology.
Sir Arthur Evans
In regards to Crete, before Evans started his work there , two storerooms were found in the palace by a fellow archeologist named Minos Kalokairinos in 1878. However, the Turkish government disrupted his work before the excavations were complete. When Evans picked up where he left off, he started deciphering script on seal stones in 1894. When the island was given the status of an independent state in 1900, he bought some land and started his excavations of the palace ruins.
Evans was lucky enough to find 3,000 clay tablets during his excavations. He started to work on their transcription. After analyzing the transcriptions, it became clear that the tablets showed traces of more than one script. As a result, he dated the Linear A Chariot Tablets at Knossos as thriving before the collapse of the Minoan civilization during the 15th century BC. Using ceramic remains and stratigraphy, Evans was able to surmise that there progressed a civilization that thrived on Crete before the previously known civilizations dwelled.
The ruins of Knossos covered five acres and possessed a quality of mazes that Evans thought brought on a labyrinth-like quality. He often compared the site to Greek mythology and likened its background to a palace built by King Minos. Evans believed that the Minoans once inhabited the civilization. By the time 1903 rolled around, the majority of the palace was excavated. He allowed the public to see that the city was quite advanced. A great deal of artwork and writing examples helped confirm. The walls of the palace were painted with plenty of scenes of bulls, which placed in Evan’s mind that the Minoans did worship the bull.
Zahi Hawass
For an archeologist who is still making strides in their field, consider the Egyptian researched named Zahi Hawass , an Egyptologist who also holds the current position of Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. Some of the locations that he has worked on include the Western Desert, Nile Delta, and the Upper Nile Valley. Discovering a wealth of artifacts within the pyramids that he visits, Hawass has seen the insides of a Queen’s Pyramid.
Because of his experiences, Hawass is often called upon to appear on special television programs aired on channels like the National Geographic Channel, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel. Hawass also makes appearances on the television show called ‘Digging for the Truth,’ providing information on mummies, pyramids, King Tut, Cleopatra, and Ramesses II.