At the beginning of the 20th century, the Mediterranean and Balkans were ravaged by conflict between the weakening Ottoman Empire and subject nations struggling to gain independence. Sir Arthur had already experienced first-hand the terrible ethnically- and religiously-driven conflict in the Balkans, and again on Crete, and hoped his excavation at Knossos could reveal the oldest European civilization to be a place of peace and unity.
The impact of Evan’s vision can be seen at its most literal at the site of Knossos as his arbitrary “reconstitutions” are criticized by many scholars but visitors remain enchanted by them.