Minoan civilization is important for the history of Greece because it shows that ancient Greeks lived in harmony with nature. They built no warships or other instruments of destruction. Instead, they worked hard to cultivate the land and build houses for themselves.
What made Minoan civilization so prosperous?
Mar 30, 2020 · The Minoans have an important place in world history, as building the first civilization to appear on European soil. It was located on the island of Crete, which is now a part of Greece. The Minoans were famous for the magnificent palaces they built, above all at Knossos.
Why Minoan civilization was able to develop its rich culture?
Mar 29, 2018 · The Minoan civilization flourished in the Middle Bronze Age (c. 2000 - c. 1500 BCE) on the island of Crete located in the eastern Mediterranean. With their unique art and architecture , and the spread of their ideas through contact with other cultures across the Aegean , the Minoans made a significant contribution to the development of Western European civilization .
What civilizations influenced the Minoans?
The Minoans have an important place in world history, as building the first civilization to appear on European soil. Minoan civilization emerged around 2000 BCE, and lasted until 1400 BCE. The Minoans were famous for the magnificent palaces they built, above all at Knossos.
What do other cultures influenced Minoan civilization?
Why is Minoan civilization important in the context of Greek history? The Minoan civilization emerged around 2000 BCE and lasted until 1400 BCE. It was located on the island of Crete, which is now a part of Greece. The Minoans were famous for the magnificent palaces they built, above all at Knossos. These buildings are among the most beautiful ...
Who are the Minoans and why are they important?
What are the main achievements of the Minoan civilization?
Why is the Minoan civilization associated to the emergence of the Greek civilization?
How did Minoans influence others?
What is the Minoan civilization known for?
The Minoan civilization is known for its Bronze Age cities on Crete which had large palace-like structures. Knossos was the largest city and locati...
What are three important features of Minoan culture?
The Minoans on Bronze Age Crete are famous for their large palace-like buildings, their vibrant and colourful frescoes in these palaces, and their...
Why are they called Minoans?
The name "Minoans" was coined by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans in reference to Minos, the mythical king of Crete in Greek mythology.
How do the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations differ?
The Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations are very similar since the first influenced the second. The Mycenaeans built palaces which influenced later...
What is the Minoan civilization?
Minoan civilization. The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age Aegean civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean Islands, flourishing from c. 3000 BC to c. 1450 BC and, after a late period of decline, finally ending around 1100 BC, during the early Greek Dark Ages. It represents the first advanced civilization in Europe, ...
Where did the Minoan civilization originate?
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age Aegean civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean Islands, flourishing from c. 3000 BC to c. 1450 BC and, after a late period of decline, finally ending around 1100 BC, during the early Greek Dark Ages. It represents the first advanced civilization in Europe, leaving behind massive building complexes, tools, artwork, writing systems, and a massive network of trade. The civilization was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans. The name "Minoan" derives from the mythical King Minos and was coined by Evans, who identified the site at Knossos with the labyrinth and the Minotaur. The Minoan civilization has been described as the earliest of its kind in Europe, and historian Will Durant called the Minoans "the first link in the European chain".
Who discovered the Minoan civilization?
The civilization was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans. The name "Minoan" derives from the mythical King Minos and was coined by Evans, who identified the site at Knossos with the labyrinth and the Minotaur.
What is the most famous Minoan palace?
The most notable Minoan palace is that of Knossos, followed by that of Phaistos.
What was the Minoan period?
The Minoan period saw extensive trade between Crete, Aegean, and Mediterranean settlements, particularly the Near East. Through their traders and artists, the Minoans' cultural influence reached beyond Crete to the Cyclades, the Old Kingdom of Egypt, copper-bearing Cyprus, Canaan and the Levantine coast and Anatolia.
Where was the Minoan art preserved?
Some of the best Minoan art was preserved in the city of Akrotiri on the island of Santorini, which was destroyed by the Minoan eruption . The Minoans primarily wrote in the Linear A and also in Cretan hieroglyphs, encoding a language hypothetically labelled Minoan.
Why did the Minoan civilization slow down?
The reasons for the slow decline of the Minoan civilization, beginning around 1550 BC, are unclear; theories include Mycenaean invasions from mainland Greece and the major volcanic eruption of Santorini .
Overview
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age Aegean civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean Islands, whose earliest beginnings were from c. 3500 BC, with the complex urban civilization beginning around 2000 BC, and then declining from c. 1450 BC until it ended around 1100 BC, during the early Greek Dark Ages. It represents the first advanced civilization in Europe, leaving behin…
Etymology
The term "Minoan" refers to the mythical King Minos of Knossos, a figure in Greek mythology associated with Theseus, the labyrinth and the Minotaur. It is purely a modern term with a 19th-century origin. It is commonly attributed to the British archaeologist Arthur Evans, who established it as the accepted term in both archaeology and popular usage. But Karl Hoeckhad already used the title Das …
Chronology and history
Instead of dating the Minoan period, archaeologists use two systems of relative chronology. The first, created by Evans and modified by later archaeologists, is based on pottery styles and imported Egyptian artifacts (which can be correlated with the Egyptian chronology). Evans' system divides the Minoan period into three major eras: early (EM), middle (MM) and late (LM). These eras are subdi…
Geography
Crete is a mountainous island with natural harbors. There are signs of earthquake damage at many Minoan sites, and clear signs of land uplifting and submersion of coastal sites due to tectonic processes along its coast.
According to Homer, Crete had 90 cities. Judging by the palace sites, the island was probably divided into at least eight political units at the height of the Mino…
Agriculture and cuisine
The Minoans raised cattle, sheep, pigs and goats, and grew wheat, barley, vetch and chickpeas. They also cultivated grapes, figs and olives, grew poppies for seed and perhaps opium. The Minoans also domesticated bees.
Vegetables, including lettuce, celery, asparagus and carrots, grew wild on Crete. Pear, quince, and olive trees were also native. Date palmtrees and cats (for hun…
Women
As Linear A Minoan writing has not been decoded yet, most information available about Minoan women is from various art forms and Linear B tablets, and scholarship about Minoan women remains limited.
Minoan society was a highly gendered and divided society separating men from women in art illustration, clothing, and societal duties. For example, document…
Society and culture
Apart from the abundant local agriculture, the Minoans were also a mercantilepeople who engaged significantly in overseas trade, and at their peak may well have had a dominant position in international trade over much of the Mediterranean. After 1700 BC, their culture indicates a high degree of organization. Minoan-manufactured goods suggest a network of trade with m…
Collapse
Between 1935 and 1939, Greek archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos posited the Minoan eruption theory. An eruption on the island of Thera (present-day Santorini), about 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Crete, occurred during the LM IA period (1550–1500 BC). One of the largest volcanic explosions in recorded history, it ejected about 60 to 100 cubic kilometres (14 to 24 cu mi) of material and was …