The Minoans

Before the Hellenes The Greeks regarded themselves primarily as greek-speakers; the Minoans, however, did not speak a form of Greek at all. The Minoans lived on the island of Crete. They are called Minoans because the later Greeks believed that king Minos had ruled that island. Minoan civilization predates the arrival of indo-european proto-greeks by seven centuries.

Minoan Timeline BCE Minoans active 2000- 1450 2000: first palaces 1800: Linear A 1700: First Catastrophe 1700-1450: Explosion of Thera 1500-1450: Mycenean Conquest 1894: Sir Arthur Evans discovers Knossos

Major Minoan Characteristics Palace culture Peaceful, maybe(?) Vibrant art Maritime power(= Trade superiority) Literate, but not literary

Peace? No walls, but Crete is an island Possibly an empire Peaceful and idyllic art (But the restorations are not reliable) Catastrophic collapse may be purely natural: Earthquake (1700), explosion of Thera (Later)

Minotaur? Bull-jumping was a major cultural feature of the palace culture at Knossos Greeks attributed the ancient kingship of Crete to Minos Minos had a monstrous son (by Pasiphae), the Minotaur who lived in a labyrinth constructed by Daedalus Cretan palaces are somewhat maze-like Axe symbol → “labyrinth” Perhaps these elements informed the myth.

Linear A The minoans could write, but it was mostly records. Their script was called Linear A (Linear B is the Mycenean) Untranslated, not proto-Greek Language family unknown

The Phaistos Disc (Linear A) Clay, late 2nd Milennium BC

Phaistos Disc Famous clay artifact from the early Minoan period. Named after the palace where it was found Text in Linear A arranged in a spiral Linear text (notice the dividing lines) Untranslated Most Minoan writing seems to be palace records; this is different (?)

Thera (Santorini) Minoan outpost This island exploded (volcanic eruption) sometime between 1700 and 1450; Huge environmental impact Tidal waves Disruption of trade These effects probably weakened Minoan sea power and led to the second collapse (The first collapse was caused by an earthquake.)

Key Info Knossos: Major palace center of Crete, excavated by Arthur Evans in 1894. Had beautiful frescos and thrones. Sig.: De-monstrates the palace culture of Crete and some of the mysteries of Minoan civilization (palace? storage?) Arthur Evans: Excavator of Knossos in 1894. Gave the name “Minoan” to the period based on the axe symbols he found in the palace; his restorations are unreliable.

Key Ideas Minotaur: Mythical half-bull son of Pasiphae that lived in a labyrinth constructed by Daedalus. Killed by Theseus. Sig.: Elements of Minoan cuture may have contributed to this myth. Minos: Mythical king of Crete; gave his name to the Minoan civilization because of the vivid imagination of Arthur Evans. Linear A: Untrans- lated Minoan script, used for records

Key Ideas Phaistos Disc: Late 2nd millennium clay disc inscribed in Linear A, found at Phaistos. Thera/Santorini: Island under Minoan control that exploded sometime between 1700 (Thera, cont.) and 1450, causing vast disruptions to the environment and to trade. Sig.: natural catastrophe may have been partly responsible for both collapses of Minoan civilization (1700, ca. 1450.)