CRETE AND GREEK CIVILIZATION

1. CRETE AND GREEK CIVILIZATION

2. •Around the times of Mesopotamians and Egyptians another civilization
flourished on the island of Crete.
•Named after their King Minos, the Minoans existed around 2900 to 1450
B.C.
•Prosperous, seafaring, who had active trade with Egypt, Syria, Sicily and
even Spain.
•Their cities had no fortification as they depended on their fleet for
protection.
•Pleasure loving, secure lifestyle is depicted through the frescoes in the
excavated places of Crete.
•The crowning achievement of the Crete was the palace of Knossos –
legend say about labyrinth housing a fearsome creature (half man and half
bull) in the underground.
•Early Minoans – 2900-2100 B.C, Middle Minoan 2100-1600 B.C, Late
Minoan 1600-1100 B.C.

3. KING MINOS

4. Palace of Knossos

5. •Then the Mycenaean at about 1400 B.C grew stronger. They conquered over
the Minoans.
• There were about 300 towns which developed around the palaces which
were filled with magnificent frescoes of great artistry.
•The remains of these cities tell stories of great architecture and engineering
with giant walls and all.
•Later due to the devastation caused by the mysterious sea people and attack
from the people from the south.
•Dorians were the nest survivors. Then the population also declined with
changes in trades and at the beginning of the 13th century B.C. the dark ages for
Greece set it.
•The Minoan civilisation disappeared at about the same time.

6. SOCIAL ORGANISATION AND MATERIAL CULTURE OF THE
MINOAN AND MYCENAEN CIVILIZATION.
•Two class society with the ruling class and the common people and
there was no genuine middle class.
•Women occupied higher status. Equal to men and not secluded in
the household. Engaged in athletics (vaulting over bulls). Thus an
exceptional position during all the ancient culture with special
reference to the female deities.
•In the Minoan culture there was an importance reference to
Mother Goddess.
•But unlike the Egypt where there were women as pharaohs, there
were invariably men as the same.
•Wealthy standards of material comforts for living.

11. MINOAN COSTUMES FOR MEN AND WOMEN: 2900 – 1100 B.C.
•Lack of proper evidences from this time and divergent views by different experts
•Conflicting views about the kind of garments, weather draped or tailored
garments.
COSTUMES COMPONENTS FOR MEN AND WOMEN

26. GREEK CIVILISATION
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
• No written records during dark ages.
•Epic ballads sung by wandering bards. Like the poems by
Homer: The Iliad and The Odyssey. The life and customs of
his own time before 700 B.C. and the Trojan War.
•After the dark period the Greeks entered
the Archaic period from 650 – 480 B.C.
•Revival of culture and prosperity.
•Village communities developed into the city states with
first type of democratic governments with elections, juries
and government by citizens.
•In the classical age from 500 – 323 B.C. Greece enjoyed
the golden age.

27. •Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.
•Tragic dramatist like Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides.
•The Greeks developed history - a new literary form.
•Greek sculptures glorified the human body and Greeks created architectural
marvels.
•Establishment of colonies along the Mediterranean on the western coasts of
present day Turkey, Sicily and southern France too.
•Greek influence was seen in Italy and they took influences from Middle East
too.
•Greek influences were spread also by the conquests of Alexander the Great
of Macedonia.
•He had stretched the empire from the Egypt and Greece in the west to the
Indian Ocean in the east.
•After his death Greek empire fell apart and the Romans expanded.

28. SOCIAL ORGANISATION OF THE GREEK CIVILISATION
•Nobility and commoners.
•Households were self sufficient. With production of food and clothing and the
home was like a fortress.
• Athens was composed of city dwellers like the adult men, their dependent
family members and resident foreigners and slaves.
•Ordinary people lived in simple households.
•Festivals and gymnasiums.
•Women lacked power and control.
•Marriages were arranged at the age of 14 of women with men of the age 30.
Monogamy in practise.
•Women had a secluded life and men did not appear with wives in public.
Women and an average life of 40 years.
•She was involved in the making of textiles at home.
•Presence of veils supported the fact that there was subjugation of women.
•To become priestess the women had to come from affluent families.

29. FABRIC AND CLOTHING PRODUCTION
•Spinning and weaving were considered fit occupation for queens
and goddesses.
•Use of linen can be seen in Greece which came from Egypt.
•Greek clothing made from wool and linen.

52. WEDDING CLOTHES
•Bride’s costume laden with symbolism.
•Some areas of wedding garment dyed in purple, with the rare type of a
mollusc called the murex.
•The bride wore a belt tied with a double knot known as a bridal or Hercules
Knot.
•Over the veil was placed the stephane or bridal crown.
•Before and during the ceremony, the veil covered the bride’s face until the
ritual unveiling of the bride, the anakalypteria, took place, finally to signify the
acceptance of the groom by the bride.
•The bride also wore special sandals called nymphides and decked herself with
elaborate jewelry.
•Finally the bride presented the groom with a tunic, a chlanis, she had woven
herself.

54. MILITARY COSTUME.
•Varied from one city state to other.
Usually included some form of protective
clothing worn over a tunic.
•Greaves, shaped leather or metal
protectors for the lower legs. And wide
metal belts and shields provided
protection.