Best Of 97+ Inspiring Ancient Minoan House Plan Not To Be Missed

While new house designs were emerging in the late Minoan period, some ancient features still showed strong continuity. Earlier Minoan palace patterns typically featured hypostyle halls and central courtyards, or ‘horns’ as they were commonly called. The usual location of these was over or adjacent to a gateway, leading to a rough-hewn building or agglomerate. At the back of the hall stood a statue, probably of the Minoan goddess.

This hall was enclosed by an agglomerate wall, forming an oval shape with two enclosures. Here the columns are more curved, forming the distinctive elbows. The main hall was generally located in the centre, and sometimes included rectangular shape entrances. This type of design was the focus of palace architecture in the Middle and Late Minoan period, and many houses adopted this feature in their designs.

Central Courtyards also became popular in the late Minoan period. It was common to find a double line of elaborately carved columns standing in each side of the courtyard. This type of courtyard layout allowed for efficient use of space, as well as excellent ventilation – two major benefits of Minoan house designs.

As you explore the designs of houses hailing from late Minoan Crete, a strong sense of continuity will be everything you notice. Take the entrance, for instance. Typically hailing from earlier designs, they were usually sited along a street or path and had balconies with barred doorways. Not many of these entrances survive today, so it’s difficult to know exactly what this type of entrance looked like, but it surely involved a series of steps – an indication of increased care regarding decoration.

When navigating further into the house, one can find evidence of some complex divisions. From the outside, it seems like an ordinary house, however while stepping inside, the sequence of dividers and the interior space are arranged differently. The process of reconstruction must be carefully done. Reconstruction processes must also incorporate factors like lighting, privacy and access features.

In late Minoan Crete, one can find evidence that rooms were divided into multiple functions – a storeroom, a dining room, a living space, and a bathroom. These divisions aided the development of specialized functions and usage for each room. For example, obscure spaces were used for keeping agricultural items or animals, while a more sophisticated division of space could be seen in dwellings that have defined sleeping, eating, living and leisure areas.

The architecture of Early Minoan Crete is characterized by houses of a type known as 'oval-shaped'. These were constructions where a curve of stone or a colonnade constituted the wall of the house. The common style of oval-shaped house designs had limited space. The interior of the house was divided into three rooms, with an entrance which was usually framed by an ornate column.

Several features of the Early Minoan house continue in the Late Minoan period. Contiguous walls of stone blocks were used to make the house, and the large proportions of the spaces could be changed with the addition of delicate screens. One familiar building sign was the vista and enclosure of the court, and its square openings framed by columns placed diagonally.

The palace-shaped houses of Early Minoan Crete had a large entrance. This entrance was generally a grand opening that spanned the entire width of the house, and its roofline was distinguished by four raised figures which flanked each corner.

As architecture of the late Minoan period evolves, a greater focus should be placed on studying the domestic structures of this time. One of the most important features of Minoan domestic architecture was the elaborately decorated facades. Featuring delicate tracings and painted colours, these facades are a distinct distinguishing mark of Minoan architecture.

Apart from the quality of the construction, early Minoan architectural features saw common use in the construction of houses. One particular example is the use of curved walls to form an ellipse, which gave the house a more homely feel. Furthermore, some of these walls were also embellished with painted frescoes and reliefs.

In addition to decorative surfaces, early Minoan house designs also experimented with interior space design. Rooms of various sizes and shapes were interconnected, while levels of elevation are more pronounced. This can be seen in the domestic buildings of the early period, where terraces and series of rooms were used to enhance the feeling of space.

Minoan architecture is one of the oldest known architectural forms in human history. It is considered to be one of the most influential in the development of European styles. The Minoan culture saw great development in house designs. Ancient Minoan houses are known for their simple shapes, forward-looking orientation, and intimate sense of space.

Minoan house designs also feature ornamental columns, impressive facades, courtyards, and entrances framed with tall columns. These features were either built out of simple materials like flagstones or sophisticated architectural structures such as the “shoelace” columns which supported the upper balcony. House designs of this period also had a series of storage spaces that were intended to preserve artefacts from storms, earthquakes, etc.

Coming to the flooring, the Minoans made use of the “floating floor” technique, which was nothing but the combination of a two-layered tile with a one-layered base. This type of flooring served the purpose of protecting the building from flooding as well as providing insulation.(floating floor)

Overall, Minoan architecture incorporated elements like protective walls, chambers, lodges and courtyards that were accessible to both public and private sectors. Most of the Minoan house designs are based on rectangular shapes, extending from a starting point nonetheless.