The Queen's Megaron (Palace of Minos)

The "Queen's Megaron" is located in the south-eastern part of the Palace of Minos. Construction of the first phase of the palace started around 1900 BC, and the building was abandoned ca. 1375 BC. Arthur Evans originally identified this suite of rooms as the apartment of a queen, and although there is no direct evidence for this interpretation, the name has stuck. The suite displays the sophistication and functional differentiation of palatial architecture, as it includes a toilet room, bathroom, and store room, as well as a light well. The toilet room featured a flushing toilet, which consisted of a seat over a drain that could be flushed by pouring water from a vessel. The bathroom featured a beautifully decorated terracotta bathtub. The store room was used to store goods such as food, water, and wine, while the light well was used to provide the apartment with light during the day. The "Queen's Megaron" is famous for the Dolphin Fresco, which was reconstructed from fragments as a wall fresco; analysis of the excavated evidence, however, suggests that the fragments may have originally come from a decorated floor rather than a wall. The "Queen's Megaron" is one of the most famous and most visited areas in the Palace of Minos.