The Throne Room at Knossos holds the oldest throne in Europe, a carved alabaster seat flanked by painted griffins. Plan tickets and tours through My Greece Tours.
The Throne Room is one of the most evocative spaces in the Palace of Knossos. The sections below cover what it is, the throne itself, the griffin frescoes, its likely purpose and whether you can go inside.
What is the Throne Room at Knossos?
The Throne Room at Knossos is a small Minoan chamber containing a carved stone throne set against the wall, flanked by benches and griffin frescoes, with a sunken lustral basin opposite.
The Throne Room holds the throne. A stone seat lines the wall. Benches flank it. Griffins guard it.
The chamber is compact. The walls press close. The throne dominates. The space feels charged.
A sunken basin faces it. Steps descend into it. Ritual may have used it. The purpose intrigues.
Antiquity crowns the room. The oldest throne in Europe sits here. The Bronze Age shaped it. The fame endures.
The Throne Room at Knossos is one of the most celebrated spaces in the entire palace, a small, intimate chamber that contains a carved stone throne set against one wall, with stone benches running alongside for others to sit. Opposite the throne is a sunken area reached by steps, known as a lustral basin, which may have been used for ritual purification. The walls are decorated with frescoes of griffins, mythical creatures, flanking the throne.
It is often described as the oldest throne room in Europe, dating from the Bronze Age, and it gives a powerful sense of stepping into the heart of Minoan ceremonial life. Discovered during the excavation of the palace, its layout and decoration have made it an icon of Knossos and a focus of fascination and debate about who sat there and why. Our guide to the key features of Knossos Palace covers the wider site, and the next section covers the throne itself.
What does the Knossos throne look like?
The Knossos throne is a seat carved from gypsum alabaster, set against the wall with a high, wavy-edged back and a moulded form.
The throne is carved from stone. Gypsum alabaster forms it. The pale stone gleams. The shape endures.
The back rises high. A wavy edge crowns it. The seat curves gently. The form impresses.
Simplicity marks the design. No gold adorns it. The stone speaks alone. The dignity remains.
Age sets it apart. Europe holds none older. The Bronze Age cut it. The throne survives.
The throne itself is carved from gypsum alabaster, a pale, smooth stone, and is set directly against the wall of the chamber. It has a distinctive high back with a wavy, undulating upper edge and a moulded, slightly contoured seat, giving it an elegant yet austere appearance. There is no gold or precious decoration; the impact comes from the form of the stone and the throne’s commanding position in the small room.
What makes it remarkable is its age: it is widely regarded as the oldest throne in Europe, surviving from the Bronze Age palace of Knossos. Standing before it, visitors can imagine the figure of authority, perhaps a priest-king or priestess, who once occupied this seat at the centre of Minoan ceremonial life. The throne in the site is the original, making it one of the genuine highlights of a visit. Our Knossos guided tours guide covers seeing it with a guide, and the next section covers the griffin frescoes.
What are the griffin frescoes in the Throne Room?
The griffin frescoes flank the throne in the Knossos Throne Room, showing mythical creatures with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle, set among stylised plants.
Griffins guard the throne. They flank it on each side. The painted beasts recline. The symbolism radiates.
Lion and eagle combine. The body is a lion. The head is an eagle. The creature awes.
Power is the message. The griffin marks authority. The divine hovers near. The throne gains weight.
Plants frame the scene. Stylised reeds rise. Colour fills the wall. The setting glows.
Flanking the throne on either side are frescoes of griffins, mythical creatures with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, depicted reclining amid stylised plants and reeds. These are among the most evocative images in the palace, and the replicas on the walls today recreate how the original decoration framed the throne in vivid colour.
In the ancient world the griffin was a powerful symbol associated with royalty, protection and the divine, often seen as a guardian. Their placement on either side of the throne strongly suggests that whoever sat there held an authority that was royal, religious or both, with the griffins lending the seat an aura of sacred or kingly power. This decoration is a key clue in the long debate about the room’s purpose. Our guide to the Knossos frescoes covers the palace’s wall paintings, and the next section covers the room’s purpose.
What was the Throne Room used for?
The exact use of the Knossos Throne Room is debated, but it was likely a place of ceremony rather than everyday rule.
The room’s use stays debated. Ceremony seems likely. Ritual fills the theories. Certainty escapes us.
A priest-king may have ruled here. Authority joined religion. The throne held power. The role blurred the lines.
The griffins hint at the sacred. The divine framed the seat. The ritual deepened. The chamber served belief.
The basin suggests purification. Steps descend to it. Rites may have used it. The function intrigues.
The precise function of the Throne Room remains a matter of scholarly debate, but most agree it was a space for ceremony and ritual rather than the routine business of government. The small size of the chamber, the formal arrangement of throne and benches, the protective griffin frescoes and the presence of the sunken lustral basin opposite all point to a setting for religious or ceremonial occasions.
One leading idea is that the throne was occupied by a priest-king or, in some interpretations, a high priestess, a figure who combined political and religious authority in Minoan society, presiding over rites in which the lustral basin may have played a part. Because the Minoans left no readable historical records of such matters, the room’s exact use can only be inferred from its design and decoration, which is part of its enduring fascination. Our guide to the mysteries of the Palace of Knossos explores the debates, and the next section covers whether you can go inside.
Can you go inside the Throne Room at Knossos?
You generally cannot walk into the Throne Room at Knossos, as it is roped off to protect the original throne and frescoes.
Entry is restricted. A barrier guards the room. The throne stays protected. The view remains close.
Visitors look from the threshold. The doorway frames the scene. The throne sits ahead. The griffins flank it.
Protection drives the rule. The original throne is fragile. Footfall would wear it. The barrier preserves it.
The view still rewards. The chamber opens before you. The detail is clear. The impression endures.
For conservation reasons, visitors generally cannot walk into the Throne Room itself. The chamber is roped off, and you view it from the doorway or a designated viewing point, which is done to protect the original alabaster throne, the genuine surviving features and the fresco-decorated walls from the wear of thousands of visitors. Even so, the vantage point gives a clear and close view of the throne against the wall, the flanking benches and the griffin frescoes.
The Throne Room is one of the most popular spots in the palace, so it can become congested in the middle of the day when tour groups gather, and visiting early in the morning gives a calmer, less crowded look. A guide will explain what you are seeing and the theories about the room, enriching the experience even from the threshold. It remains one of the unmissable highlights of a visit to Knossos. Plan your visit and tours through our Palace of Knossos guide.
Of all the spaces at Knossos, the Throne Room lingers longest in the memory. Small, shadowy and charged with significance, it places you a few steps from the oldest throne in Europe, flanked by its guardian griffins, in the very heart of Minoan ceremonial life. Even viewed from the threshold, it sparks the imagination: who sat here, what rites unfolded, what authority this modest stone seat once commanded. Visiting early, before the crowds gather at the doorway, and ideally with a guide to explain the throne, the griffins and the theories about the room, makes the encounter all the more powerful. It is one of the unmissable highlights of the palace and a fitting symbol of Knossos itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Throne Room at Knossos?
The Throne Room at Knossos is a small Minoan chamber that contains a carved gypsum alabaster throne set against the wall, flanked by stone benches and frescoes of griffins, with a sunken lustral basin opposite reached by steps. Often called the oldest throne room in Europe, it dates from the Bronze Age and is one of the most famous and atmospheric spaces in the palace. The throne is widely regarded as the oldest in Europe. Its exact purpose is debated, but it was most likely used for religious or ceremonial occasions presided over by a priest-king or priestess rather than for everyday government.
Why are there griffins in the Knossos Throne Room?
Griffins flank the throne in the Knossos Throne Room because they were powerful symbols of royalty, protection and the divine in the ancient world. These mythical creatures, with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, are shown reclining amid stylised plants on either side of the throne, where they acted as guardians. Their placement strongly suggests that whoever sat on the throne held an authority that was royal, religious or both, lending the seat an aura of sacred or kingly power. The griffin frescoes are an important clue in the long debate about the room’s purpose and the nature of Minoan rule.
Can you sit on the throne at Knossos?
No, you cannot sit on or walk into the Throne Room at Knossos. The chamber is roped off and viewed from the doorway or a designated viewing point, to protect the original alabaster throne, regarded as the oldest in Europe, along with the genuine surviving features and the fresco-decorated walls from the wear of thousands of visitors. The viewing point still gives a clear, close look at the throne against the wall, the flanking benches and the griffin frescoes. As the Throne Room is one of the most popular spots in the palace and can get congested at midday, visiting early in the morning gives a calmer view.