The Ashmolean's first exhibition in 2023 focus on one of the most notorious classical myths and one of the most famous stories in modern archaeology: the myth of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur and the discovery of the Palace of Knossos. The exhibition includes more than 200 objects, over 100 of which are on loan from Athens and Crete and are being shown for the first time outside Greece.

They are presented together with the Ashmolean's incomparable collections and archives, which show the exciting moments during the unveiling of the Palace of Knossos between 1900 and 1905.

According to legend, the Labyrinth of Knossos housed the Minotaur, a mythical monster with the body of a man and the head and tail of a bull, who waited inside for his victims. This myth remains one of the most enduring in the ancient world, and of course, Knossos is now one of the most popular archaeological sites in Greece.

Ancient Greek silver coin © Ashmolean, University of Oxford

The exhibition traces the history of the excavations at Knossos in Crete. For centuries, travelers searched the island for the mythical labyrinth until 1878, when a Cretan businessman and scholar, Minoas Kalokairinos, discovered the ruins of an ancient building at Knossos. Local authorities prevented him from properly excavating the site because Crete was partially under the control of the Ottoman Empire and, until it gained independence, there was a danger that any significant finds would be taken to Constantinople. Summer's discoveries attracted international attention, and archaeologists from various countries began to bid for future excavation rights. In 1900, British archaeologist and director of the Ashmolean, Sir Arthur Evans (1851–1841), received permission from Cretan authorities to excavate.

Evans began his excavations convinced that this building was the legendary labyrinth. He quickly found colorful wall paintings, clay tablets indicating an early writing system, and a room with an intact stone throne where he believed the rulers sat. He called this labyrinthine building the "Palace of Minos" and was able to determine that it was about 4,000 years old and built in the Bronze Age. He coined the term "Minoan" to describe the culture of Crete during this period.

The exhibition features some of the finest Minoan artifacts discovered by Evans, from everyday objects such as decorated pottery to ornate sculptures, many of which are on loan from the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. They are combined with drawings made during the excavations from the Ashmolean's 'Sir Arthur Evans' archive. Some of the drawings show the process of reconstructing the site and its finds and provide insight into the controversial concrete restorations Evans carried out on the palace in the mid-20th century.

Video-still-from-Assassin's-Creed-Odyssey-©-Assassin’s-Creed™-&-©-Ubisoft-Entertainment

One of the highlights of the exhibit is a finely crafted marble shell that shows the skill of Minoan craftsmen and their special interest in marine life. Other objects show octopuses and Argonauts in the depths of the sea, or bulls, sometimes with people doing acrobats sitting on them. Evans saw them as the origin of the Minotaur myth.

The exhibition also features two immersive experiences inspired by Knossos. A Restoration (2016) by Turner Prize-winning artist Elizabeth Price will be on view. The 15-minute digital video is a fictional work spoken by a "chorus of museum curators," who use Evans' archives to virtually reconstruct the Palace of Knossos on the museum's computer. In the second room, visitors are taken on a unique virtual tour of the Palace of Knossos as it was in the 5th century B.C., at the time of the Peloponnesian War, thanks to the digital representation of the site in the video game "Assassin's Creed Odyssey". Ubisoft created the film specifically for the exhibition to showcase the research underlying the game.

Cockerel vessel © Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, General Directorate of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage, Heraklion Archaeological Museum (1)

Due to the size and scope of the site of Knossos, excavations were able to continue into the 20th century. The last room of the exhibition presents the discoveries of the post-war period as well as numerous more recent finds. These include artifacts proving that Knossos is the site of the earliest known agricultural settlement in Europe, founded around 7000 BC, as well as incredible artifacts found in cemeteries and religious sanctuaries in the area, showing that Knossos flourished for thousands of years before being largely abandoned around 800 BC. Among the most recent finds is an impressive Bronze Age dagger with gold and silver hilts, the first of its kind found in Crete.

The exhibition concludes with a find that points to a ritual human sacrifice. It is the revelation of the human sacrifice in Anemospilia by the eminent archaeologist Giannis Sakellarakis in 1979, who spoke openly about a human sacrifice in the Minoan era, causing a stir in the scientific community.

Evans endowed the Ashmolean Museum with the largest and most important collection of Minoan archaeology outside of Crete, and his archives have played a central role in understanding the site of Knossos.

The exhibition offers both an exploration of Minoan culture and Greek myth, as well as a deeper look at British archaeological history and a reconsideration of Evans' interventions in their historical context.