Photography and Fiction

The Publication of the Excavations at the Palace of Minos at Knossos

Abstract

This paper discusses the photographs published by Sir Arthur Evans of the Bronze Age site of Knossos on Crete and gives special attention to those that exhibit evidence of alteration. The altered images are divided into three categories: Retouched for Clarity, Reconstruction, and Falsification. It is argued that although Evans most frequently altered excavation photographs for benign purposes, he also occasionally changed images of the site and archaeological materials in order to reflect his desired historical interpretations.