The Minoans and Mycenaeans

The Greeks trace their culture back to two earlier cultures known as the Minoans and the Mycenaeans. The Minoans were good farmers, carpenters, and ship builders. They traded pottery, leather, bronze armor and metal jewelry.

The Minoans were named after the legendary King Minos. A large palace had been discovered at Krossos on the island of Crete.

The people of Crete loved sports! Men farmed and fished. Women managed a household and went hunting.

Minoan cities relied on the sea and the navy for protection. Their famous city of Crete had a modern palace at the center.

The main god of the Minoans was the goddess Mother Earth. They also believed that items like Lilies, The Double Ax, and Doves were sacred.

Land was divided into estates farmed by slaves or tenants. The land owners paid the king in horses, chariots, weapons, wheat, farm animals, and honey in exchange for protection.

The Mycenaeans were from the Peloponnesian Peninsula. The Mycenaeans learned to grow and press olives. Olive oil made them rich, and increased their trade.

The Mycenaeans were warriors. They fought each other and raided other lands.

They invaded and conquered the Minoans on Crete. The most famous of the Mycenaean kings was named Agamemnon. He was a key figure in the Trojan War, as retold in Homer’s poem the Iliad.

After a period of time known as the Dark Ages, the people known as Mycenaeans started over. They eventually began calling themselves Hellenes or Greeks. They worked to regain their culture and learn new crafts and skills.