Minoan culture arises from the Neolithic people who settle Crete c. 7000 - 6000 BCE. They open the door to a prosperous civilization, expansive architecture and a wealth of myth including that of the Minotaur.
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On Crete, settlements from the aceramic or pre-pottery Neolithic date to the 7th millennium BCE. The people use domesticated animals such as sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and dogs. Cereals and legumes show evidence of selective crop breeding.
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Ancient Knossos is a populous Neolithic settlement and grows into one of the grandest cities of Minoan civilization. Other Neolithic sites include Kephala, where the palace of Knossos is built.
The Neolithic Cretan settlement Magasa on the east coast is notable for palatial chambers and multi-roomed homes. The but-and-ben (two room) housing design and use of mud-dried brick is similar to architecture found of Neolithic Knossos.
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Trapeza ("table") is another important Neolithic site, a sacred primeval cave system. Some Bronze Age pottery finds are similar to those of Knossos and Vasiliki, the latter known for the Vasiliki style of pottery.
The Minoans reach their peak of prosperity c. 3100 BCE to c. 1420 BCE. Major Minoan cities include Knossos on the north central coast, and palatial Phaistos, on a sheltered cove of south central Crete.
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Minoan civilization is known for Linear A, an early logosyllabic writing system based on symbols corresponding to sounds, as in Egyptian and Asian languages. Adopted by later Mycenaeans, it evolves to Linear B and eventually modern Greek.
Minoan culture is self-sufficient, with the island habitat providing basic needs and crops such as flax, barley and lentils. Economy expands with a network of Mediterranean trade. Exports include timber, wheat, figs, olives and olive oil, linen and luxury artisan works.
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Minoans trade for tin and copper to make bronze; as well as gold, silver; emery rock or granules from the Cycladic island Nexus; fine stone, ivory, and manufactured items. Their cultural influence extends to Cyprus, Canaan, and Egypt.
In the Bronze Age, the building of palaces typifies Minoan art and architecture. A palace can be the home of a royal ruler, or a place of public gathering. Grand and airy, a palace differs from a castle, which is heavily fortified. A bright lively style dominates Minoan art.
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Minoans create the first true frescoes. In fresco the pigment is mixed with binder, such as gypsum, to become part of the wall, compared to murals which are painted on the wall. Even today some frescoes are still vivid.
Fresco subject matter is often nature and ritual, including the famous Minoan bull jump. The people have a strong bull culture. Like Egypt and later Rome, Minoans equate the Bull with fertility, virility, strength and glory of the Sun.
The jump involves holding the horns of the Bull and being tossed into the air. The object is to somersault in the air, land standing on the back of the Bull and spring gracefully to the ground. This display of agility is for male and female participants.
The Minoans are named for mythical King Minos who rules Crete three generations before the Trojan War. Minos has several sons, one of whom wins an international athletic competition. The Aegean king sends the young man to Athens, where he's murdered.
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The murderers are either jealous competitors or the Cretan Bull. The Cretan Bull sires the Minotaur with Minos' wife Pasiphaë, a daughter of Helios the Sun. Pasiphaë falls in love with the Bull. She has a hollow cow built, gets inside and mates with him.
The Minotaur, a man with the head of a Bull, is the product of this liaison. Although his mother tries to nurse him the Minotaur became ferocious, as he needs to devour humans to survive. King Minos builds the labyrinth to house the Minotaur.
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Fuming over the death of his son, Minos begs Zeus to smite Athens with plague and famine. Zeus obliges. Through an oracle, the Athenians discover they must send seven boys and seven girls every nine years to feed the creature. Eventually Theseus slays the Minotaur.
In the Minoan bull culture, bulls and oxen are sacrificed to honor the Gods. Sacrifices can be huge, a show of riches or desperation. A sacrifice of one hundred oxen even has its own term, a hecatomb or hekatomb.
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Minoans have wheeled carts pulled by oxen by c. 2000. Horses first come to Greece c.1600 BCE and become an integral part of culture and warfare. Equated with nobility and wealth, horses also appear in decorations and art.
In 1600 BCE the catastrophic eruption of the Thera volcano or Minoan eruption, wreaks widespread destruction. Massive tsunamis wipe out coastal habitations. Known for saffron as well as weaving and textile production, Santorini is destroyed and forever reshaped.
Among the biggest eruptions in history, the Thera eruption creates a huge caldera with volcanic ash deposits hundreds of meters deep. Santorini sits on a volcanic belt extending through the south Aegean. For a couple of centuries the region is abandoned.
Minoans pick up the pieces and move on. In c. 1420 BCE war breaks out. Destruction through Crete tells of internal revolt and Mycenaean attack. Some palaces are ruined, others preserved. Mycenae takes control of Crete and assimilates the Minoan culture.