Arthur Evans. Portrait of Sir Arthur John Evans (1851-1941), the British archaeologist who discovered the Palace of Knossos on Crete. Independently wealthy, Evans began studying inscriptions from Crete in 1894. As a result Evans was able to locate and begin excavating a large palace at Knossos. The labyrinth-like nature of the palace led Evans to name the civilisation Minoan after the minotaur legend. The palace is one of the finest examples of Bronze Age architecture in the Aegean, though some of Evans' restoration work has attracted criticism. Portrait painted in 1907.