How Did Greek Architecture Influence Minoan Culture

The Palace of Knossos is the most complex structure existing from the ancient Minoan Civilization on the island of Crete. It was built in the Minoan political center of Knossos by King Minos around 1900 BC. The palace is an extremely intricate building standing five stories with large, beautiful paintings on its walls known as frescos; it even had indoor plumbing. It is apparent that only the most important people in Minoan society lived in the palace because of its grandeur and beauty.

218-219). So nobility or at least an early form of it was present at this time due to knowledge that they were religious centered I think it could be possible that they could have had a semi-theocratic like situation. It is assumed that they are a fetish or symbol of a deity and it was discovered that to the Minoans it had a meaning close to that of a modern greek word for the weapon of the thunder god to the Greek but in to those of Minoan Crete, a Mother Earth god(Nilsson, 1950, p. 220).

he Harvester’s Vase, a fascinating 3500 year old stone sculpture from the Aegean Bronze Age was a product of cultural interactions between the Minoans and the outside world. The vase is “unprecedented” in ancient art history due in part to the animated facial features and accurate human anatomy, thanks to the Minoans long history in making art and their mercantile economy. While Mycenaeans and Hellenic Greeks are more well-known and studied, Minoans played a huge in part in laying the foundations of Western art. Discovered in ruins of the Hagia Triada on the island of Crete. The Harvester’s vase was created around 1500 to 1450 BC, the vase is unique in that it is one of the few well preserved artifacts of the Minoan Kamares where they have

However, the French Archaeological School eventually took over. Archaeologists have uncovered two rectangular courts at Malia as well as massive storage areas. Malia is an important site because it tells us about the economic, political and social features of Minoan society.

The great Minoan civilization of Crete formed around palaces such as those at Knossos, Phaestus, Ayia Triada, and Tyliossos. The extremely important Palace of Minos at Knossos gives us crucial evidence of a continuous architectural brilliance and highly developed artistic sense, bringing together all aspects of architectural style, art, and innovation during the Minoan period between 1700 BCE and 1580 BCE and continuing until the invasion of the Achaeans in the 12th century BCE (Britannica Encyclopedia). The most famous palace is the palace of Minos of Knossos which demonstrates a specific arrangement of blocks:

It is very clear that ancient buildings can be a part of the evidence to show what happed in the history. As a part of ancient culture, architectural languages have the significant vale in both culture and construction. The temple of Hera, which becomes the sign of Greek classic architecture even the whole Europe, plays an important role in the Greece history and culture . This essay will start an analysis from the structure and component of the temple of hera to present that how can cultural factors affect the form and functions of a building.

Aegean art is a cluster of differing cultures that flourished in the area of the Aegean Sea. The cultures combined inside Aegean art are Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean. The oldest and the most minimalistic culture that represents Aegean art are from the Cycladic culture. They used white marble carvings of female and male nudes (Figure 4.2 and 4.3). They also made roundish flat objects with handles, spirals, or circles (Figure 4.1). While Minoan culture focused on many different forms of art. They built magnificent “palaces” (Figure 4.5) that were filled with fresco paintings (Figure 4.8 and 4.9). These fresco paintings represented their love of nature which displays fish and plants throughout the paintings. Even their pottery displayed their naturalistic style. Now the final culture Mycenaean had a fiercer kind of art. There architecture was designed to be impregnable (Figure 4.19) and the fresco paintings from the Minoan culture is relatively gone. They made tombs that resembled the Egyptian tombs (Figure 4.25) that were filled with gold items and a gold masks that covered and resembled the face of the deceased (Figure 4.27).

Many different types of art were found in both excavations of the palace of Nestor and the recently discovered tomb. These findings tell us how advanced their civilization was because of the tools, utensils, and jewelry that archeologists found. At the Palace of Nestor, many kitchen utensils were found. This includes 1,325 shallow bowls, 1,325 teacups, and 425 dippers, other known as a spoon. These appliances tell us that this civilization, which was believed to be Mycenean, was somewhat developed. They were able to have basic appliances and they were able to make a lot of them. Archeologists were also able to find a great abundance of beauty appliances and jewelry in the tomb. They were able to uncover 14,000 items next to the man’s

Etruscan art depicted activities that were normal activities of the daily life of the Etruscan people. They may have decorated the tombs of their daily lives for many reasons. Some of the reasons could be so that the deceased were remembered, or to even show some of the accomplishments made by the person who has passed. This art work is a very good way of understanding the lives, religion, and cultural beliefs of the society of the Etruscans.

The artwork and architecture of the Place at Knossos reveals a significant amount of detailsconcerningthe ancient Minoan civilization. According to archeological findings by Sir Evans Author, it is evident that architectureand art practiced in this society symbolize itssuccessful culture. Minoan potteries alongside other artifacts signify a highly lucrative and flourishing commerce at the Knossos (Chilvers, 2005). Elements of commercial life practiced in the Minoan civilization include excavated artworks, jewelry, sculptures, and paintings among other findings. Other than the commercial aesthetics of the Minoan civilization, there were well-organized religious and social movements. This fact relates to the archeological findings that discovered

One of the most notable contributions of Minoans was their unique column design. This column was different to the Greek columns as it was wider at the bottom than the top. It was suggested by Adams that the columns of Knossos were installed in this direction to ensure the trees didn’t take root.

This week in Art History I, I learned about the early forms of art in the Mesopotamian and Egyptian areas. From the beginning of writing systems with cuneiform and hieroglyphs, to building religious temples, and immortalizing military victories, these early civilizations created a rich history that influenced all aspects of our lives today. The Sumerians honored their gods in ziggurats, they created statues to represent these gods, the styles were emulated by others, such as the statues of Gudea five hundred years later. Egyptians immortalized their significant persons by mummifying the remains and entombing the them with all they could want in their afterlife.

Minoans were the first Europeans to have a written language which is known as Linear A. The Minoans date back to around 2000 B.C.E until around the year 1400B.C.E.“There was, if fact, never a people who called themselves the "Minoans". The civilization of Ancient Crete was given this name by the 19th century British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, who, when he began excavating at Knossos in 1900, thought he had discovered the palace of the legendary king Minos, who appears in several Greek myths.(TimeMaps)” I believe the Minoan civilization disappeared due to three main factors, tsunami, foreign invaders, and volcanic eruption, based on evidence of deep sea fossils being found on Minoan soil,

History Of Architecture The famous PAX MINOICA - prevailed throughout the island, which facilitated the great cultural development, the charming, refined way of life of the Minoans. A variety of pottery styles developed: the marine style, with its lively motifs derived from the world of the deep sea (octopuses, tritons, star fishes, sea-snails, rocks,

Throughout the world, the expressions of traditional architecture are based on and adapted to local conditions. This applies primarily to the local availability of materials and the response to climatic conditions. However the distinctive cultural, religious and social character of a neighborhood or region may also influences the design. (Dahl 2010).