The Minoans emerged on Crete around 2100 BCE and established dominance over Crete and the eastern Mediterranean until their culture reached its height around 1500 BCE. They built elaborate palaces like the one at Knossos that featured running water, multiple stories, bathrooms, and gardens but no walls. Sir Arthur Evans began excavating Knossos in 1905 and uncovered its grand staircase and throne room. Minoan society was based around palace centers that collected tribute and traded goods. Their sophisticated culture enjoyed painting, dancing, and unusual sports like bull leaping before it began collapsing around 1450 BCE due possibly to invasion from Mycenaean Greeks or a large volcanic eruption on the island of Thera.

1. 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.

2. Aerial View of Knossos

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

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

5. Plan of Knossos

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

7. Evans even rebuilt rooms
Queen’s Megaron, Knossos

8. found the ‘oldest throne’

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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...

12. 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”

13. 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?

14. 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.

15. Bull Leaping Fresco

16. 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.

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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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.

21. Village at Akrotiri, Thera