The Minoans Civilization

One may ask, who are the Minoans? Well they are considered by many Historians and Archeologists to be the first great European Civilization. Some people believed that this was the mythical land of Atlantis. They were located near the Aegean Sea and lands such as Greece, Troy and Asia Minor. One interesting fact is that these people never called themselves the Minoans. There wasn’t any name listed in the history books for these people but the Ancient Crete Civilization. They were known as the Crete Civilization because they lived on the island of Crete which is now part of Greece. It wasn’t until a 19th century British Archeologist, Sir Author Evans gave them the name, The Minoans. He gave them this name because he believed he had found the legendary palace of King Minos. There has been many civilization collapses over the World’s history, but most can be explained in great detail. There are some that are very mysterious and not definitively explained. The collapse of the Minoan people happens to be one of those mysterious collapses which ranks 3rd in the top ten most mysterious collapses of the world and is still to this day debated on what actually caused their demise. There are many factors that go into the collapse of a civilization, but this kind of catastrophe doesn’t just happen in a blink of an eye this is something that happens over a long period of time. This paper will touch on the climate and environment, the time period and culture, how they became

Ancient Greece became a very influential civilization. Founded by the Minoans who first moved to the island of Crete in around 2000 B.C and lasted to about 1400 B.C. The Minoans developed an advanced civilization and expressed their culture in their constructed palaces. Great monuments were reached at Greece’s Golden Age from around 500 B.C to 300 B.C. They created long lasting contributions in subjects such as Philosophy, Military, Health, and Government.

(Bright, Hilda, and Helen Pocock.) The Minoans were the first advanced society in Europe 's history. The Minoans were found throughout mainland Greece and throughout the Mediterranean Sea and the island of Crete. Around the year 6500 the Cretans were documented in hunting, fishing, and engaged in pagan worship. In the year 3000 B.C. and the years following, immigrants from Northern Africa came to Crete. They were skilled in Bronze making. This would soon lead to the Bronze Age and the Greek empire would grow and become more powerful. In the years after 2000 B.C. is when most of the palaces and the other artifacts that are still visible today were made. (Kyriakopoulos, Victoria. pg. 23-24)

relating to the Bronze Age civilization on Crete that lasted from around 3000 to 1100 bc

The Minoan civilisation originated on the eastern Mediterranean island of Crete and was named by Sir Arthur Evans (1851-1941) after King Minos. The society saw the gradual development of a culture that was rich in artistic and technological achievement and whose influence reached far across the Mediterranean. The relationship between Thera and Minoan civilisation was shown through the similarities of their architecture, pottery, writings, frescoes, religion and

The Minoan civilization was named after King Minos and was influenced by the civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia. They were most likely destroyed later on by the Mycenaean civilization.

Civilization flourished during the Neolithic period (7,000-3,000 BCE) (Orfeas Organisation-Greece, n.d.). The Bronze Age (3,000-1,100 BCE.), “saw major advances in social, economic, and technological advances that made Greece the hub of activity in the Mediterranean” (History of Greece: Bronze Age, n.d.). During this time period, there were three different civilizations that identified people at this time. These three civilizations were called the Cycladic civilization which was developed in the Aegean Islands; the Minoans which occupied Crete; and the Helladic which was the civilization of the Greek midland (History of Greece: Bronze Age, n.d.). The Helladic civilization was also called the “Age of Hero’s”, during the Mycenaean era. The Helladic civilization was the source of the mythological heroes such as Hercules, and epics such as the Odyssey (History of Greece: Bronze Age, n.d.). The considered first most advanced civilization in Europe was the Minoans (History of Greece: Bronze Age, n.d.). The Mycenaean philosophy (para. 2) “had a great deal of influence with its legends and Greek language on what later became the splendor of Classical Greece” (History of Greece: Bronze Age, n.d.). The culture that outlasted the Cyclades and the Minoans where the Mycenaeans. They had lengthened their impact over the mainland, Aegean Islands, Crete and the shore of Asia Minor by the end of the 10th c.

Knossos was excavated by Arthur Evans in 1900. The archaeological evidence suggests that it was first built around 2000 BC. Additionally, it also suggests that it was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt around 1700 BC. On the eastern side of the complex, the palace had four storeys; On the western side of the complex, the palace had three storeys. Additionally, it had a massive central court and storage areas. Knossos is an important site because it tells us about the economic, political and social features of Minoan society. Arthur Evans incorrectly believed that Minos lived at Knossos.

Five miles off the northern coast of the island of Crete, located between two streams, is the capital of the Minoan empire Cnossos (sometimes spelled Knossos). The Minoans built two palaces in Knossos. The First was built around the beginning of the Middle Minoan period (2000-1580 BCE). This palace was made of “isolated structures built around a rectangular court.” This palace was destroyed in 1720 BCE by an earthquake. After it was destroyed a second grandeur palace was built. It “measured some 750 square meters in area.” This palace had administrative and ceremonial quarters and a basement for storing “wheat, oil, and treasure.” After 1400 BCE the second Palace was destroyed by fire. During its existence the Palace served as the political

As an island civilization, the peace-loving Minoans focused almost solely on trade. However, the Mycenaeans were were concerned with warfare and advanced their civilizations through conquest, as well as trade. This is evident in their architectures, as the high walls and narrow passages of Mycenaean architecture appear to be more defensive than aesthetic nature. Furthermore, their home city state was constructed upon a large mountain, aiding the defensive nature of the civilization. Also, their art often depicts forms of warfare, The Warrior Vase and the lion hunt dagger for instance. On the other hand, the Minoans had very open architecture, especially the Palace at Knossos. Moreover, most of the Minoan art depicts different animals and creatures of the sea, as well as people acting to further life, rather than take

Minoan civilization was advanced for their time and they had many great achievements. As a result of being an island nation, they built a large sea empire based on trade. There were two versions of Minoan writing: An older script called Linear A, which has never been deciphered. Newer than Linear A, but much older than ancient Greek, which it is the earliest form of, was Linear B, which has been deciphered. The center of their empire was a huge palace located in a place called Knossos. Knossos had a working plumbing system. The palace was between 3 and 4 stories tall, which was large for the time. The minoans painted frescoes on walls of the palace and created art on

Mycenaean- emerged in Greece, rocky and arid climate, with small plains lying between ranges of hills meant it was only able to grow grains, grapevines and olive trees, transport came through the sea, most supplies had to be imported, as result the rise and fall of the society was closely tied to commercial and political situations with other regions, Greek culture is a blend of indigenous people and Indo-European language speakers, was a static nation living in the stone age till 1600 B.C.E., adopted Minoan ideas of palaces, centralized economy, administrative bureaucracy, writing, architecture, pottery and vase painting, it is believed piracy funded the nation, fortified palaces were built on hills surrounded by walls, graves were beehive shaped, great sailing abilities, evidence suggests that Minoans pioneered sea routes, then Mycenaean people used the same routes and eventually replaced them completely with trade

Knossos was inhabited by the Minoan civilization and was a very important city-state. The city had approximately 100,000 citizens. The city of Knossos flourished with trade and commerce with other cities on the island of Crete. Knossos had flourished until around 1375 B.C.E where a volcano on the island of Thera erupted which led to Knossos being abandoned.

The Palace of Knossos was the capital of Minoan Crete. The Place is grander, complex and flamboyant than any of the other palaces known to us. Knossos is located about twenty minutes south of the modern port town of Iraklion. The British Archaeologist Arthur Evans, the man who excavated the site in 1900 AD restored parts of the palace in a way that it is possible today to appreciate the grandeur and complexity of a structure that evolved over several millennia and grew to occupy about 20,000 square meters.

The Minoan civilization were forerunners of the ancient Greeks and they were a successful resourceful society. Living on the island of Crete, the Minoans livelihood depended on the sea, agriculture, and trading. The bravery and the agility of bull leaping plays an integral part in the Minoan culture and the bull is also reflective throughout their art. Additionally, religion also played an important role in the Minoan culture and this was evident in their artistic creations. Actually, the Minoan art communicates a society of high-spirited people, who adapted well to their surrounding environment.