1730 BC to 1450 BC), and the Post-Palatial Period (c. 1900 BC to 1700 BC), Neopalatial Period (New Palace) (c. 3000 BC to 2000 BC), Protopalatial (Old Palace Period) (c. The Palatial Periods, by Platon, and their respective estimations of dates were divided into the following: Prepalatial Period (c. Evans further subdivided the above periods into the following: Early Minoan (EM I, EM II, EM III), Middle Minoan (MM IA, MM IB, MM IIA, MM IIB, MM IIIA, MM IIIB), and the Late Minoan (LM IA, LM IB, LM II, LM IIIA, LM IIIB). 2100 BC to 1600 BC), and Late Minoan (LM) (c. ![]() The three periods were named as follows: Early Minoan (EM) (c. Evans, before 1941 Unknown author Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Sir Arthur Evans started this classification system and divided it into three time periods. The other categorization was in accordance with the different styles of pottery that developed throughout the Bronze Age Crete. The archaeologist Nikolaos Platon started this classification, which was referred to as the Palatial Periods. These were based on the growing developments as evidenced by numerous palaces during different periods and the events that occurred around these. Two classification systems have been used to categorize Crete’s developments as a civilization. Palaces and Pottery: Minoan Classification Systems His contributions to the unearthing of the history of Crete, its people, and its culture were invaluable. Evans discovered the great palace and city of Knossos and verified from all the evidence the lives of the Minoans, or Cretan, culture during the Bronze Age. Erroneously, many believe it was the archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans who first used this name. The German historian Karl Hoeck first introduced the term minoisch in his publication Kreta (c. The myth, in as little detail as possible, goes along the lines of King Minos getting 14 children (seven girls and seven boys) from King Aegeus who are then sent to the labyrinth and eaten by the minotaur. It was named after the Greek myths of King Minos, who was associated with the famous Minotaur and the labyrinth. It was given in more modern times, during the 19 th century. Map of Minoan Crete User:Bibi Saint-Pol, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons The name “Minoan” did not originate at the same time though. The Minoans mainly lived and thrived on the Greek island of Crete with Knossos as one of the main cities, which is also known as “Europe’s oldest city”. Some sources also say they started earlier, around 3500 BC, but only advanced as a society around 2000 BC. They lived during the Bronze Age around 2000 BC to 1500 BC. Now that we have some contextual basis of where the Minoans fit in, let us explore them further. Thirdly, was the Cycladic civilization who occupied the Cyclades islands, located southeast from the Greek mainland. The Mycenaeans, who lived on Mainland Greece and eventually took over the Minoans. These were the Minoans based in Crete, which is an island south of the Greek mainland. Three prominent cultures emerged and are known collectively as the Aegean Civilizations. Let us start with the Aegean Civilizations, which were of Greek origin and lived by the surrounding Mediterranean Aegean Sea. ![]() So, who were the ancient Aegean Civilizations, and where do the Minoans, the subject of our article, fit in?Īncient Orient around 1500 BCE: Egyptian conquest in Levant competition with Hittites and Mittani / Kashite conflict with Elam and Sealand / Minoan eruption Enyavar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons The Greco-Roman periods are also remembered to have influenced the Renaissance artists and inspired a surge of creativity and revivification of Classical philosophical ideals of beauty and harmony.īut who inspired the Greek world and ideals?Ĭivilizations we seemingly forget to talk about as often as the “Classics” are the ancient Aegean civilizations that almost set the foundations for the ancient Greeks. The Minoans existed before the Classical art periods that we all know very well – the Greek and Roman art periods.
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