Minoan -- Ancient History Encyclopedia

Definition

The Minoan civilization, named after the legendary King Minos, was a Bronze-Age civilization that flourished on the island of Crete from approximately 2200 to 1450 BC when it gave way to the Mycenean civilization. Previously thought to exist only in Greek myths, the Minoans were discovered in 1900 by Sir Arthur Evans, a British archaeologist who was searching for King Minos’ tomb at the site of Knossos on Crete. They used “Linear A” script to keep administrative records on tablets, but the ancient language remains large untranslated by historians.

The Minoans are most closely associated with the myth of Theseus, the Minotaur, and the labyrinth. They are also well known for their maze-like palaces, which first appeared around 2000 BC. These unfortified palaces had a large open courtyard called the central court, and they may have been used as political, administrative, and/or economic centers based around storage and redistribution of agricultural goods. The four major Minoan palaces were Knossos, Phaistos, Zakro, and Mallia.

Minoan art, architecture, and other forms of cultural expression show similarities to the civilizations of the Near East and Egypt. In particular, Minoans seem to have had a love of nature. Birds, cats, marine life, flowers, plants, and especially bulls are common images in frescos and on pottery. Women are also very popular in works of Minoan art and their pale skin distinguishes them from men, who were represented with darker skin tones.

The Minoans are regarded as a peaceful, seafaring people who relied on overseas trade throughout the Mediterranean. Hence, the decline and eventual demise of the Minoan civilization still remains a mystery to archaeologists and historians. Common theories include a massive volcanic eruption on the island of Thera or Mycenaean conquest of Crete.

Written by stevenfife_06, published 02 September 2009.

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