Located on an island in the south Aegean sea, an ancient civilization known as the Minoans ruled for over 600 years. Archaeologists know of this great civilization in part due to Sir Arthur Evans, a very rich man who was determined to discover who these people were. At some point in his life, Evans came across some seal stones which depicted bulls and mythological creatures with origins supposedly on the island of Crete. Not much else was known at the time, and because of that Evans became inspired to pursue his curiosity. Excavations went underway, lead by specialists Evans hired, and quickly they began to uncover the secrets of Crete. Being the eccentric person Evans was, he took it upon himself to reconstruct many of the damaged sites he was exhuming based on his interpretations. On Crete, there were great palaces and villas, many adorned with paintings referred to as frescos depicting life in ancient Minoan society such as the sport of bull-leaping and elite women. Explorations uncovered large ceramic jars at the palace of Knossos estimated to collectively house 62,000 gallons of liquids. Evidence of the types of foods grown here suggests these liquids were olive oil and wine collected as taxes from nearby estates.
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