The Temple Tomb at Knossos is a two-storey rock-cut tomb and shrine south of the palace, combining burial and worship in one monument. Plan tickets and tours through My Greece Tours.
The Temple Tomb is one of the most unusual monuments connected with the Palace of Knossos. The sections below cover what it is, why it is called a temple tomb, who was buried there, what it looks like and how to see it.
What is the Temple Tomb at Knossos?
The Temple Tomb at Knossos is an elaborate Minoan tomb and shrine built into the hillside a short way south of the palace.
The Temple Tomb stands south of Knossos. The hillside holds it. The monument cuts into rock. The grandeur impresses.
Two storeys make it up. A crypt sits below. A shrine rose above. The plan is rich.
Burial met worship here. The tomb held the dead. The shrine served the living. The roles combined.
Few tombs match it. The scale stands out. The design astonishes. The monument endures.
The Temple Tomb is one of the most elaborate and intriguing monuments associated with Knossos, an unusually grand Minoan tomb located in the hillside a short distance to the south of the main palace. It was excavated by Sir Arthur Evans, who gave it its evocative name, and it stands out for its size, its careful construction and its combination of functions in a single complex.
Unlike a simple grave, the Temple Tomb is a substantial two-storey structure built partly cut into the rock and partly built up, comprising a rock-cut inner burial crypt on the lower level, an upper storey thought to have served as a shrine, and an arrangement of pillared halls, a courtyard and an entrance pavilion. This blending of a place of burial with a place of worship is what gives the monument its name and its special interest. It reflects the wealth and religious ideas of Minoan Knossos at the height of the palace. Our guide to Minoan burial customs covers the wider funerary world, and the next section covers why it is called a temple tomb.
Why is it called the Temple Tomb?
It is called the Temple Tomb because it combines a tomb with a temple or shrine in one monument.
The name joins two ideas. Temple meets tomb. The monument holds both. The title fits.
The lower crypt held burials. The dead rested in the rock. The grave lay below. The tomb was real.
The upper storey served worship. A shrine rose above the crypt. The ceremonies took place there. The temple was real.
Evans named it so. The dual role struck him. The label stuck. The interest grew.
The monument is called the Temple Tomb because it appears to have combined the functions of a tomb and a temple, or shrine, within a single structure, which is unusual and striking. Sir Arthur Evans, who excavated it, coined the name to capture this dual character, and it has been used ever since.
On the lower level, cut into the rock, was the burial crypt, the actual tomb chamber where the dead were laid, its ceiling supported by a central pillar. Above this, on the upper storey reached by a staircase, was a room interpreted as a shrine or chapel, where rites connected with the dead or with worship could be carried out, looking down toward the burial below. Together with the courtyard and pillared hall in front, this arrangement suggests a place where burial and ongoing religious ceremony, perhaps a cult of the dead or of ancestors, were brought together. The combination is what makes the Temple Tomb so distinctive among Minoan monuments.
Who was buried in the Temple Tomb at Knossos?
The Temple Tomb was a high-status burial place, almost certainly for a ruler, a member of the royal family or the elite of Knossos, given its scale, fine construction and cost.
The Temple Tomb held the elite. The grandeur proves it. The dead were important. The status was high.
A ruler may rest here. The royal family perhaps. The cost suggests it. The scale agrees.
Fine work fills the tomb. Gypsum lined the crypt. The labour was great. The wealth showed.
The names are lost. No record survives. The identity stays unknown. The grandeur speaks instead.
The Temple Tomb was clearly the burial place of someone of the very highest rank, almost certainly a ruler, a member of the royal family, or a leading figure of the elite of Knossos. Everything about the monument points to this: its great size, its careful and costly construction, the use of fine gypsum to line the burial crypt, the two-storey design and the inclusion of a shrine all reflect an investment far beyond an ordinary grave.
The Minoans left no readable records identifying individuals, and tombs were often robbed and reused over time, so the exact identity of the person or people buried in the Temple Tomb is unknown. We cannot attach a name to it. What the monument tells us instead is the level of wealth, status and religious provision that the rulers of Knossos commanded even in death, and the importance attached to honouring the most powerful dead with a tomb that was also a place of worship. It is a window onto the Minoan elite. Our guide to the legend of King Minos covers the rulers of Knossos, and the next section covers what the tomb looks like.
What does the Temple Tomb look like?
The Temple Tomb is a two-storey complex set into the hillside, with an entrance pavilion, a paved courtyard and a pillared hall leading to the rock-cut burial crypt, whose roof is held up by a central pillar.
The Temple Tomb climbs the slope. The hillside frames it. Two levels stack up. The complex unfolds.
A pavilion marks the entrance. A courtyard opens beyond. A pillared hall follows. The approach builds.
The crypt cuts into rock. A central pillar holds the roof. Gypsum lines the walls. The chamber impresses.
A stair climbed to the shrine. The upper room waited. The worship looked down. The design joined them.
Architecturally, the Temple Tomb is a carefully planned complex set against and into the hillside, approached from the north. At the front was an entrance pavilion or porch, opening onto a small paved courtyard, beyond which lay an inner pillared hall whose roof was supported on columns. This sequence of spaces created a dignified, processional approach to the burial place itself.
Beyond the hall, cut into the living rock, was the burial crypt, a square chamber whose ceiling was supported by a single central pillar and whose walls were lined with fine gypsum slabs, marking it as a place of the highest importance. From the hall a staircase led up to the upper storey, the room interpreted as a shrine, set above the crypt. The whole monument, with its combination of courtyard, pillared hall, rock-cut crypt and upper shrine, shows the same architectural sophistication seen in the palace at Knossos, applied here to a place of burial and worship. Our guide to the key features of Knossos covers Minoan architecture, and the next section covers how to see the tomb.
Can you visit the Temple Tomb at Knossos?
The Temple Tomb lies a short distance south of the main Knossos site, and access can be limited, so it is less visited than the palace.
The Temple Tomb sits apart from the palace. The south slope holds it. The walk is short. The monument waits.
Access can be limited. The tomb is not always open. The visitor should check. The plan adapts.
The palace draws most people. The main site fills the day. The tomb stays quieter. The keen seek it out.
A guide can advise. The local knowledge helps. The arrangements vary. The interest decides.
The Temple Tomb is located a short distance to the south of the main excavated palace at Knossos, separate from the principal visitor route, and access to it can be restricted or variable, so it is far less visited than the palace itself. For this reason, most visitors to Knossos focus on the great palace and do not see the Temple Tomb, experiencing the world of the Minoan dead instead through the larnakes, sarcophagi and grave goods displayed in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.
Visitors with a particular interest in Minoan funerary architecture who would like to see the Temple Tomb can ask locally, or through a specialist guide, about whether and how it can be visited, as arrangements vary. Understanding the monument, even if seen only in plans and photographs, adds a great deal to appreciating Minoan ideas about death, status and the joining of tomb and shrine. It is a reminder that Knossos was a whole landscape of palace, town and tombs, not just the famous central building. Plan your visit and tours through our Palace of Knossos guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Temple Tomb at Knossos?
The Temple Tomb is one of the most elaborate and intriguing monuments associated with Knossos, an unusually grand Minoan tomb located in the hillside a short distance to the south of the main palace. Excavated by Sir Arthur Evans, who gave it its name, it stands out for its size, careful construction and combination of functions. Unlike a simple grave, the Temple Tomb is a substantial two-storey structure built partly cut into the rock and partly built up, comprising a rock-cut inner burial crypt on the lower level, an upper storey thought to have served as a shrine, and an arrangement of pillared halls, a courtyard and an entrance pavilion.
Why is it called the Temple Tomb?
The monument is called the Temple Tomb because it appears to have combined the functions of a tomb and a temple, or shrine, within a single structure, which is unusual and striking. Sir Arthur Evans, who excavated it, coined the name to capture this dual character. On the lower level, cut into the rock, was the burial crypt, the actual tomb chamber where the dead were laid, its ceiling supported by a central pillar and its walls lined with fine gypsum. Above this, on the upper storey reached by a staircase, was a room interpreted as a shrine or chapel, where rites connected with the dead or with worship could be carried out.
Who was buried in the Temple Tomb?
The Temple Tomb was clearly the burial place of someone of the very highest rank, almost certainly a ruler, a member of the royal family, or a leading figure of the elite of Knossos. Everything about the monument points to this: its great size, its careful and costly construction, the use of fine gypsum to line the burial crypt, the two-storey design and the inclusion of a shrine all reflect an investment far beyond an ordinary grave. The Minoans left no readable records identifying individuals, and tombs were often robbed and reused over time, so the exact identity of the person or people buried in the Temple Tomb is unknown, and no name can be attached to it.