Minoan

• The Minoan civilization, a Bronze Age civilization, arose on the

island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC
to the 15th century BC.
• It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through
the work of the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans.
• What the Minoans called themselves is unknown.
• The term "Minoan" was coined by Arthur Evans after the
mythic "king" Minos.
• Minos was associated in Greek myth with the labyrinth, which
Evans identified with the site at Knossos.
• Crete is a mountainous island with natural harbors.
• There are signs of earthquake damage at many Minoan sites and
clear signs of both uplifting of land and submersion of coastal sites due
to tectonic processes all along the coasts.
• Homer recorded a tradition that Crete had 90 cities.
• To judge from the palace sites the island was probably divided into
at least eight political units during the height of the Minoan period.
• Minoans were traders, and their cultural contacts reached far
beyond the island of Crete
• Minoan techniques and styles in ceramics also provided models, of
fluctuating influence, for Helladic Greece.
• Minoan cultural influence indicates an orbit that extended not only
throughout the Cyclades.
• The oldest evidence of inhabitants on
Crete are preceramic Neolithic farming community remains that date
to approximately 7000 B.C.E.
• Knowledge of the spoken and written language of the Minoans is
scant, due to the small number of records found.
• The influence of the Minoan civilization outside Crete manifests
itself in the presence of valuable Minoan handcraft items on the Greek
mainland.
• The Minoans were primarily a mercantile people engaged in
overseas trade.
• It is likely that the ruling house of Mycene was connected to the
Minoan trade network.
• The collection of Minoan art is in the museum at Heraklion, near
Knossos on the north shore of Crete.
• Minoan art, with other remains of material culture, especially the
sequence of ceramic styles.
• Very little sculpture from Minoan Crete has survived since most of
it was not monumental, and instead consisted of small artifacts
dedicated to gods or kings.
• Several authors have noted evidence for exceedance of carrying
capacity by the Minoan civilization.