Minoan Griffin from the Knossos Throne Room Fresco Coffee Mug

You may edit/delete the text and the blocks of colour on the background The Minoan civilization flourished during the Bronze Age on Crete and other Aegean islands between 2600 and 1100 BC. Its best-known remaining landmark is the palace of Knossos in Crete, a great labyrinthine complex of 20,000 metres, a ceremonial, religious and political centre that reflected great wealth, power, and highly advanced architecture. One of the most intriguing findings inside the palace was the chamber called the Throne Room, which is thought to have been built in the 15th century BC. It is believed to be the oldest throne room in Europe, and most certainly the oldest alabaster throne of the Aegean region (there have been doubts about this idea, as it seems the main purpose of the chamber was the performance of religious ceremonies). If the room was used for sacred ceremonies, the stone benches might have been there for a court or type of council. The presence of the griffins gives credence to this hypothesis. They represent mythical creatures that combine a lion and an eagle – two beasts that rule the earth and the skies and symbolize divinity and kingship. The griffin emblem comes from the Near East, where they are regarded as protectors of the divine. In Minoan civilization, however, they are almost always associated with female figures and goddesses, never a male one. However, these griffins are unusual: although they are beautifully elaborated with a collar and something like a crown, they do not have wings. (source: Petra Bjelica)