Description: This vintage Greek postage stamp features the iconic ruins of the Palace of Knossos, located on the island of Crete. The intricate line engraving portrays the famous reconstructed North Bastion, complete with its characteristic downward-tapering Minoan columns and open-air multi-story terrace. In the background, the rolling hillsides of the Cretan landscape surround the remnants of this legendary Bronze Age administrative and religious center. The top-left corner is inscribed with the site's name in Greek letters, "ΚΝΩΣΟΣ" (Knossos), while the lower banner proclaims "ΕΛΛΑΣ" (Hellas/Greece) flanked by the denomination of 2.50 Drachmas (ΔΡ. 2.50). This particular example bears a bold, wavy machine cancellation mark across the center, indicating its historical transit through the Greek postal system.
Circa: 1961-1968
Condition: Used - Hinged
Notes:
This definitive stamp belongs to a highly celebrated 1961 "Tourism" series issued by the Hellenic Post to promote Greece's rich cultural heritage during the postwar European travel boom. The iconic structure depicted on the stamp was famously excavated and controversially reconstructed in the early 20th century by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, who used reinforced concrete to recreate what he believed the ancient palace looked like.