The Forum

Visiting Knossos

I love your magazine, agree with your sensible recommendations on how to curb looting, and approve of your policy of printing photos of ancient mosaics and paintings that might be deemed pornographic today.

Your articles on “The Minoans of Crete: Europe’s Oldest Civilization” (March/April 2004) reminded me that my love of archaeology began with a book on the Minoans I read in 1941. Thirty years later, I spent an afternoon on Crete—the highest highlight of a cruise. Even today, I often find myself dreaming about Knossos: the alabaster throne (how small it seemed!), the wall paintings, the staircase, even the storage jars.

Errata

May I suggest that the next time you publish articles on Crete you consult a map of the island. Mallia, despite your assertion on pages 28 and 34, is not on a coastal plain in southern Crete. It lies, for all the world to see, on the northern coast (as you show in the map on p. 20). Oh, and it’s “Mochlos” (footnote on page 29), not “Mochols.” That said, I love the magazine.

Ruefully, we acknowledge that Mr. Allen is right on both counts.—Ed.