1. Minoan Civilization on Crete
Chapter 9 section 1

2. Crete Greek civilization grew out of 2 earlier civilizations:
Minoan and Mycenaean
Around 2800 B.C. civilization rose on the island of Crete

3. Crete- island in Mediterranean Sea

4. Economic Activity Minoans- Grew crops such as olives and grapes
Good carpenters because of plentiful forests
Built ships (world’s first seafaring civilization)
Merchant ships traveled to trade for pottery, leather, bronze armor, and jewelry
Jobs people had: farmers, fishermen, sea captains, shepherds, ship builders, artisans

5. Sports Loved sports Built first open air arena Boxing
Bull leaping- a team of 2 people, one would grab the bull by the horns, the bull would toss the person over its head, making the person do a somersault and land on his feet on the bull’s back.

6. Sports cont.
Then the person would do a back flip and the second person would help to catch him
Bull leaping may have been used as a religious ceremony as well as a sport

7. Cities and Palaces At the center of each city was a palace
Cities did not have walls around them
Knossos was the largest city on Crete
The palace at Knossos had indoor plumbing, flush toilets and hot water running water
Palace had several entrances that formed labyrinths

8. Cities and Palaces
Labyrinth means double ax and the palace was called the House of the double ax
Houses surrounded the palace
Walls were painted with frescos-watercolor paintings made on damp plaster
Houses had no entrances from the street, people entered from the roof
Doors and windows that were made of parchment were added later.

9. Rulers
Rulers were called priest kings- made the laws and represented the gods on earth
Had many gods
Main god was Mother Earth
Built shrines
Hills lead to Heaven, caves lead to underworld
Minoans believed the lily was sacred, the double ax stood for the power of Mother Earth, and doves were sacred because they flew in the heavens

10. Fall and Decline of the Minoans
Civilization ended about 1400 B.C.- when control of the sea passed to the Mycenaean's
Theseus and the Minotaur myth explains why it ended.
When the minotaur died, the power of the Minoans died off too.