Minoans and Mycaneans

Thera/Santorini

The Minoan eruption of Thera, also referred to as the Thera eruption or Santorini eruption, was a major catastrophic volcanic eruption.

Linear A

The Minoan language. It is still not deciphered.

Why does bronze become valuable for people during this age?

It was a harder substance than they had had before. They could use it to make more durable weapons and tools.

What are some of the leading Mediterranean civilizations during the Bronze Age?

Minoans, Mycenaens, Thracians, Dorians, Macedonians, Trojans, Hittites

Linear B

Mycaenean language. Largely borrowed from Linear A. Has been translated

How would you describe/characterize Minoan society? What evidence supports your descriptions/characterizations?

Sea faring, not aggressive, supportive of women, dependent on sea, great traders, peaceful, artistic, wealthy, innovative (running water)

Thetis

Thetis, in Greek mythology, a Nereid loved by Zeus and Poseidon. When Themis (goddess of Justice), however, revealed that Thetis was destined to bear a son who would be mightier than his father, the two gods gave her to Peleus, king of the Myrmidons of Thessaly.

Syncretism

is the combining of different beliefs, while blending practices of various schools of thought

Achilles

Greek Hero. Heel

Bronze Age dates

2600 bce - 1100 bce

How did Minoan civilization end?

?? wiped out?? maybe by earthquakes, thera or Mycenaeans

Agamemnon

Agamemnon was the son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of Clytemnestra and the father of Iphigenia, Electra or Laodike (Λαοδίκη), Orestes and Chrysothemis.[1] Legends make him the king of Mycenae or Argos, thought to be different names for the same area.[2] When Helen, the wife of Menelaus, was taken to Troy by Paris, Agamemnon commanded the united Greek armed forces in the ensuing Trojan War.

What role did women play in Minoan life and society? How do we know?

An important feature of the Minoan culture is the status afforded to women. Not only were women respected, they were also given positions of authority. This is in stark contrast to the later Greeks who seemed to prefer women in more menial positions. The female deities of the Minoan religion even seem to be dominant. There are reasons that can be provided for this situation. One is that the culture was very dependent on the babies that the women provided. that the culture was dominant on the sea. It is entirely possible that the culture was divided with the men at sea and the women on land. It makes sense that while the men were away the women would be required to perform many of the tasks of the men. And it also makes sense that any militarism was confined to the ships.

Tholos (beehive) tombs

Beehive tombs, also known as Tholos tombs (plural tholoi), are a monumental Late Bronze Age development of the Mycenaean Civilization that eventually replaced the old style of chamber tombs. It was named such after the vaulted dome shape of the main burial chamber that resembles the shape of a beehive. The change in burial styles has been a significant development in archaeology for it signifies a shift in ancient Greek society. The beehive tomb required considerable effort to construct, and thus was only available to powerful leaders. The appearance of similar structures in different cultures is also of interest to social scientists, in some cases indicating the influence of one civilization over others, in other cases indicating the lack of sufficient common features, suggesting independent development of the structures. In all cases, however, the beehive tombs are a fascinating example of human creativity and desire to respect and honor those whose lives impacted their society. Most often, beehive tombs were placed underground, either built deep into the side of a hill, or, as in areas with flat parcels of land, were entirely subterranean.

Homer

Blind poet author of odyssey and illiad

What are some of the major human developments that occur across the Bronze Age?

Bronze, Crete destroyed, Troy destroyed, Mycaene destroyed, palace system

Menelaus

Brother to Agamemnon, Husband of Helen who was stolen by Paris

Know the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. What can we learn about the Minoans? Why do you think the Greeks created this myth?

Bulls were important to the Minoans. They were very powerful -- if they could make Greece give them children the greeks must have thought they were powerful and wealthy. TO make their children afraid of the Minoans because they were powerful, wealthy and cruel.

Heinrich Schliemann

German archaeologist and excavator of Troy, Mycenae, and Tiryns. He is sometimes considered to be the modern discoverer of prehistoric Greece,

Who was Heinrich Schliemann? Why is he so controversial?

German archaeologist and excavator of Troy, Mycenae, and Tiryns. He is sometimes considered to be the modern discoverer of prehistoric Greece,

Knossos

Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and has been called Europe's oldest city. Settled as early as the Neolithic period, the name Knossos survives from ancient Greek references to the major city of Crete. The palace of Knossos eventually became the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan culture

Snake Goddess

One of the most intriguing archaeological finds in the remains of the Minoan palace at Knossos was the figure above which has been traditionally identified as the "Snake Goddess." Minoan culture flourished in the middle of the second millenium BCE. It was a palace culture that was focused on the Aegean islands, especially the island of Crete. The culture is named after the legendary King Minos who ruled Crete.

What do we know about their warfare practices?

Poor had leather shields. Rich had metal shields.

Shaft graves

Shaft graves, late Bronze Age (c. 1600-1450 BC) burial sites from the era in which the Greek mainland came under the cultural influence of Crete. The graves were those of royal or leading Greek families, unplundered and undisturbed until found by modern archaeologists at Mycenae. The graves, consisting of deep, rectangular shafts above stone-walled burial chambers, lie in two circles, one excavated in 1876 and the other not found until 1951. They were richly accoutred with gold and silver; carvings of chariots provide the earliest indication of chariots on the Greek mainland.

Sir Arthur Evans

Sir Arthur John Evans (8 July 1851 - 11 July 1941) was an English archaeologist and pioneer in the study of Aegean civilization in the Bronze Age. He is most famous for unearthing the palace of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete in 1900.

From where does the Bronze Age get it's name?

The Bronze Age is the time period when people made tools from an alloy (a mixture of metals) called bronze. Bronze is a mixture of mainly copper and tin: usually nine parts copper to one part tin.

Polytheism

Worshipping and believing in more than one god. many gods.

What was the role of Minoan palaces? What do they tell us about their culture?

The palaces in the Minoan culture served a variety of purposes. In many ways, they should be looked at as the cultural, practical, and administrative centers for the people.each of the palaces were structured the same way and appeared to have a variety of uses, such as to store food and serve as the center of government. However, their main use appears to have been administrative. While excavating at the various palatial sites, archaeologists have found a lot of archival information written in Linear A. The things that they all have in common is that they each served similar purposes. Each palace is also multi-storied and contained things such as large areas for storing things like food, wine, and olive oil. Aside from being studied for their uses, these palaces have also been analyzed from a purely architectural standpoint, as the Minoans had a unique building style.

What was the basis of Minoan economy? Why were they so powerful?

The sea -- and trade. They were very powerful because they were able to harness the bounty of the sea and they had a very powerful navy and trading capabilities.

Wanax

Wanax, the king, is at the highest grade of the Mycenaean hierarchy. This supreme monarch ruled the state from the palaces, he made laws and determined the rate of taxes, he directed the collective works and defined the international conditions.

What does Minoan art tell us about their culture and religious beliefs/practices?

What has survived to our day from Minoan art provides insight into the culture that flourished in Crete during Prehistoric times. The art of the Minoans speak of a society of joyous disposition, in touch with their environment, and in awe of the logical order of the natural world. Above all, the unearthed artifacts reveal a people who had developed a high degree of self-respect and a keen eye for observing and adopting to their physical environment. Women are represented. Many were goddesses. The art of the Minoan civilization of Bronze Age Crete (2000-1500 BCE) displays a love of animal, sea, and plant life, which was used to decorate frescoes and pottery and also inspired forms in jewellery, stone vessels, and sculpture. Minoan artists delighted in flowing, naturalistic shapes and designs, and there is a vibrancy in Minoan art

What was the Mycenaean religion like?

Worshipped early forms of Greek gods -- Poseidon Zeus Dionysys polytheistic. practiced syncretism with Minoan dieties

Mycenaens timeline

c. 2000-c. 1100 BCE

From which metals is bronze made?

copper and tin

The Mask of Agamemnon

gold funeral mask discovered at the ancient Greek site of Mycenae. The mask, displayed in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, has been described by Cathy Gere as the "Mona Lisa of prehistory".[1] German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered the artifact in 1876, believed that he had found the body of the Mycenean king Agamemnon, leader of the Achaeans in Homer's epic of the Trojan War, the Iliad, but modern archaeological research suggests that the mask predates the period of the legendary Trojan War by about 300 years

How do we know the Minoans were an advanced civilization?

running water, palace seat of government, redistribution of goods , architects, traders, wealthy, powerful navy

Helen

wife of Menelaus, stolen by Paris in the Trojan war myth