The Minoans
The Minoans emerged from Cycladic and
Pelasgian Culture around 2100 BCE, and
established dominance not only over Crete but
over most of the eastern Mediterranean, including
Cyprus.
Their culture reached its height about 1500 BCE.

Aerial View of Knossos

The Minoan
Palace at
Knossos
The remnants of the grand
staircase of the palace at
Knossos, Crete, built
around 1700 BCE

Thoroughly Modern
• The palace at Knossos
• had running water;
• multiple stories;
• bathrooms;
• elegant gardens;
• and no walls!

Plan of Knossos

Sir Arthur Evans
• an English aristocrat
• began excavating
Knossos in 1905.
• Gave the culture its
name, “Minoan”.
• Died at Knossos.

Queen’s Megaron, Knossos
Evans even rebuilt rooms

found the ‘oldest throne’

Palace Culture
• Several palaces dot the island of Crete
• Each palace ruled a district
• Each collected raw materials and finished
goods as tribute
• Palaces traded goods with each other, and with
foreign nations like Egypt.

Minoan Ceramics
• Minoan trade based in
part on the ceramics
trade: pots & dishes.
• Pharaoh Akhenaten
sent gold for pottery.
• Archaeologists call it
“eggshell ware” because
it’s so thin.

The Snake Goddess?
• Images of this woman
are found all over Crete,
and at Minoan sites on
all the islands.
• Who is she?
• A goddess? a queen?
• We don’t know...

Linear A — Minoan Writing
• Because the writing of
the Minoans is not yet
deciphered.
• We don’t know how to
read it.
• Archaeologists call it
“Linear A”

Minoan Writing II
• There’s also a weird
object called the
Phaistos Disk.
• How was it made?
• Is it writing?
• If it’s not, what is it?

The Minoans...
• Lived in a very sophisticated society
• Nearly urbanized, & loved painting
• Enjoyed dancing and music
• ruled the seas around Crete thoroughly
• Practiced unusual sports.

Bull Leaping Fresco

Minoan Collapse
• Around 1450 BCE, Minoan civilization began
to fail.
• We don’t know why.
• There are several theories
• The truth is probably a combination.

Minoan Collapse
• One possibility is INVASION.
• Mycenaean pirates from mainland Greece
invaded Crete
• They burned the palaces
• and took over the land.

Minoan Collapse
• Another possibility is VOLCANO followed by
TIDAL WAVE.
• The island of Thera (Santorini) erupted about
1500 BCE.
• The resulting ash cloud and tidal wave buried
or swamped Minoan civilization

Akrotiri, Thera
• The ruins of Akrotiri,
on Thera, support the
Volcano & tidal wave
assumption.
• The ruins are clearly
Minoan in origin;
• The eruption buried &
destroyed the town

The Eruption Crater
• Most of Thera was
blown away in the
eruption in 1500 BCE.
• The crater, now filled
with sea water, still
survives.
• Thera is still an active
volcano.

Village at Akrotiri, Thera