1. The Minoans

2. 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.

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

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

6. 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)

7. 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.

8. 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

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

10. 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 (?)

11. 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.)

13. Key Info
Knossos: Major palace center of Crete, excavated by Arthur Evans in 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 Gave the name “Minoan” to the period based on the axe symbols he found in the palace; his restorations are unreliable.

14. 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

15. 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 )