Minoan and Mycenaean Worlds Flashcards
Knossos, Crete is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and is considered Europe’s oldest city.
The first settlement dates to about 7000 BC. The first palace dates to 1900 BC.
Abandoned At some time in Late Minoan IIIC, 1380–1100 BC
Cycladic and Egyptian finds already attested in Early Bronze Age/Early Minoan Crete (3rd mill. BC)
Some Prepalatial (Early Bronze Age) finds from Crete
Knossos: reconstruction of Bronze Age Palace, 1900 BC
Cretan scripts: A Linear A is one of two currently undeciphered writing systems used in ancient Greece (Cretan hieroglyphic is the other). Linear A was the primary script used in palace and religious writings of the Minoan civilization. 2500–1450 B.C.
Linear B is a syllabic script that was used for writing Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek. The script predates the Greek alphabet by several centuries. The oldest Mycenaean writing dates to about 1450 BC
The Phaistos Disc is a disk of fired clay from the Minoan palace of Phaistos on the island of Crete, possibly dating to the middle or late Minoan Bronze Age (second millennium B.C.). Its purpose and meaning, and even its original geographical place of manufacture, remain disputed, making it one of the most famous mysteries of archaeology.
Crete: Minoan palace at Phaistos. 1850 BC
Knossos, Crete: huge palace storerooms
Knossos: the’ Royal Road’
Knossos: painted frescoes, 1500 BC
Unclear who the leader of minoan society was - could have been a theocracy- run by a preist, or a matriach with high priestesses.
Eruption of Thera on Santorini, 2nd millenium BC. Many believe the volcana wiped out much of Minoan society, and caused their power in the Aegan to descrease so Myceanean priests could take over.
Mycenaean fortifications. Completely absent in Minoan culture - unique ideology of power through the walls.
Mycenaean tombs - Treasure of Atreus in Mycenae. Tombs focused on single elite people while Minoans would bury many people together, as equals.
