Minoa

Minoa
and the story of Theseus and the Minotaur

Especially the story of
Theseus and the Minotaur.

And from the story, he thought he could
prove that King Minos was from

So he went to Crete, and he and
archaeologists found the remains of

a large city, in fact ancient Crete had many
cities...

With many rooms!
So many rooms one might get lost!

The palace walls were decorated with
colorful paintings

Whose lives depended on the sea

They traveled to the mainland for food
They could not grow all the food they would need for their people

But they did have tin!
An essential ingredient that traders during the Bronze Age wanted!

In their cities, we see the use of gold and
bronze to make many things, including the
labrys, or double headed axe.

We believe they had kings, who also acted
as priests,

Who wore a bull mask during ceremonies

They had religion.
...goddesses were important...such as the snake goddess

...the Mistress of the Animals

... and the goddess who looked after the crops

They believed in an afterlife
...and buried their dead with food and a few possessions

in chests like these.
(notice anything on this one?)

We know they had a written language.
Creatively called “Linear A”

But we can’t really read it.

Although some scholars believe the
Cretan word for king is “Minos”

They had some system of indoor plumbing

And they had depictions of bulls
everywhere!

And depictions of bull leaping

On walls, on rings, and in statues

Was it a sport? A religious ceremony?
(Or just the workings of an over-active imagination?

Arthur Evans, became Sir Arthur Evans,
and named the civilization he found Minoa

So... why did the Minoan civilization end?

Was due to the start of the Iron Age?
... you don’t need tin to make iron!

Was it a volcanic eruption?
(We know there was one around 2000 BC)

That spewed ash,
causing famine

Or the volcanic eruption
may have caused a tsunami

We know the eruption may have caused the
end of the Xia dynasty....in China!

If these did not end the Minoan civilization
It weakened them, allowing the more war-like Mycenaeans to invade

Your turn: Which parts of Minoan culture
could point to some truth in the story?

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