The palaces of Bronze Age Crete—most famously Knossos , Phaistos , Malia , and Zakros —stand as the ultimate monuments to Minoan architectural genius. Flourishing during the Protopalatial and Neopalatial periods (c. 1900–1450 BCE), these structures were completely different from the heavily fortified, defensive citadels of the Mycenaean Greeks or the rigid, symmetrical temples of ancient Egypt. Instead, Minoan palaces were sprawling, multi-story, open-air complexes designed without a single defe