How did Sir Arthur Evans carry out his excavations at Knossos? What are some of his major contributions to archaeology?
   John, 15, Town Gympie

Dr. dig responds:

Sir Arthur Evans, assisted by Duncan Mackenzie, excavated the Minoan palace at Knossos, Crete, from 1900 onward. He used the conventional low-tech methods of his age. Evans was not an experienced archaeologist but, as the son of prehistorian John Evans, he knew the importance of controlled excavation and careful recording. However, he was happy to make assumptions about his site, giving rooms in the place names such as the Queen's megaron ("throne room") without any real archaeological evidence to support his claim. Evans discovered the earliest literate society in Europe, and gave a name to early Cretan civilization -- Minoan after the legendary King Minos.