Restoration vs. Conservation; The Palace at Knossos

The archaeological site at Knossos

Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris, "The “Palace” and Grave Circle A," in Smarthistory, December 14, 2015, accessed September 6, 2020, https://smarthistory.org/the-palace-and-grave-circle-a-mycenae/.

How should artifacts, artworks, and historical sites be properly protected and studied at the same time? What is conservation and restoration? Should sites be conserved and restored?

What is restoration? Restoration generally involves returning an artifact to an earlier state, often using materials that were not original to the artifact. Archaeological restorations provide important information about the history of a site. However, all the places that were restored at Knossos, are the result of extensive and in some cases, damaging restoration. The restoration at Knossos makes us think about how we can better preserve an archaeological site, while at the same time providing a valuable, educational experience for visitors that nonetheless continues to be true to the remains. The restorations installed by the excavator, Sir Arthur Evans, was helpful due to the fact that most of Knossos would be lost if nothing was done. Nevertheless, in some cases it seemed to be more problematic. The restorations may not be accurately representing what was found or what used to exist and everything that has been heavily reconstructed like this site, will always have a more modern take. We don't have access to the tools they used to build with, giving the palace a completely different look.

Evans' interpretation and reconstruction seems to be exclusively Minoan, relating to the Bronze Age civilization, is still with us despite the fact that archeologists now understand the different periods of construction at Knossos. Much of the final form of the palace are perceived as being of Mycenaean, not Minoan. Even though this information is recorded in texts mounted at the site, visitors overlook it.

What is conservation? Conservation seeks to preserve artifacts for the future and can involve cleaning and repairing that isn't meant to distract from the original. At Knossos, conservation has continued, but with new challenges. Work on the site has largely been focussed on Evans' reconstruction. The reinforced concrete had proven to not last as long as they were hoping, so the wet winters left it crumbling, which allowed for rusting on the interior.