5th+hour+Minoans

__**5th hour minoan**__
The Minoans... From Begining Till' the End Raynard Blythe. The Minoan people lived from around 6000 B.C. and thrived in their small island in the Mediterranean Sea named Crete. Their lifestyle consisted of farming and fishing for food and a deep devotion to their religion and their Gods. Not having a strong military, the Minoans didn’t rely on conquering their surrounding neighbors but instead they used trade to get wealthy and powerful. Living on an island with great natural resources like Crete made it very easy to grow crops which created a surplus of food and resources to trade with the Greek neighbors. Although the extra food let the Minoans live comfortably for many thousands of years the Minoans suddenly slipped onto a rapid downfall around 2000 B.C. and the Minoan people were just about knocked out by 1500 B.C. most historians believe that the cause of the rapid and sudden fall was caused by the Egyptians, who may have visited to trade and show them their superior technology, but along with new toys they brought disease which spread fast with no cure. This eventually led to the end of the Minoan people. (Bourbon, 1998)

This is an image of what Minoan life might have looked like.

**__Minoan Art__** Raynard Blythe. The Minoans had many beautiful artifacts from their time. Beautiful clay pots with unique etchings along the sides. Although many pieces of art were unearthed from Minoan society, not very many whole artifacts have been found. Out of the few that have been found depicted images of spiritual rituals, such as bull-jumping and sacrificing animals for the Gods. Others have shown how social classes were in ancient Minoan times, where religion and wealth ruled over the land. Also large statutes of their Gods have been discovered over the years as well. (Bourbon 1998) This is a simple picture created by a minoan artist which depics a flower in spring.

**__Minoan Writing and Recording__** Raynard Blythe. The Minoans used a writing system different to that of the Egyptians who used hieroglyphics; the Minoans used a writing style scholars call linear writing. Linear writing is pretty much what it sounds like, an assortment of lines that told wondrous stories. Much of the “stories” talked about life for the top level of the social groups and their lavish lifestyle. Another thing depicted on much of the writing was religious rituals such as bull-jumping and their Gods like the Snake Goddess. The writing was put on pieces of metal and on large stone slabs, and can also be found painted throughout their palaces. (Benton, 1998) this is an unearthed artifact that is believed to be acient Minoan writing.

Minoan Religion Raynard Blythe. The Minoan people were very much so polytheistic, which means they believed in many Gods, not just one. The Gods that the Minoan religion was based off of were used to explain things they used in everyday life. For example, they worshiped a farming god that they called the “Goddess of vegetation”, they would pray to her in their fields or go up to a mountain and gave an animal as a sacrifice for the goddess and in return they would receive good crops that harvest. The Minoans also had large worshiping sanctuaries located inside their large palaces, here they would pray to their multiple Gods. They also took human sacrifices into caves and gave them as offerings to the Gods. (Benton, 1998) this is a painting of what the Minoans believed was the source of their great crops, the Goddess of Vegetation.

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Vincent Szlachetka. There were many public works in the Minoan civilization. Some were Irrigation systems, Roads, bridges and defensive walls. These are just some of the public works in the Minoan Civilization. ======

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Vincent Szlachetka. You can't find the social classes for the Minoan civilization anywhere because no one really knows what they are. We don't have written records. We assume that they were a monarch society. ======

Vincent Szlachetka. Duties of officials were to collect taxes and to maintain law and order and to construct and maintain public works. The central government mainly included priests.
Cody Gibson. Washed by the warm waters of the Agean Sea. Crete was not home though the brilliant early civilization. The success of the Minoans was based on the trade and not the conquest. Minoan traders set up outpost all over the Agean world, including the Greek main land. From their island gnomes in the Eastern Mediterranean, they had crossed the seas to the Nile valley and the Middle East. Cody Gibson.These are some of the things the Minoans like, they showed there social classes. They had belief in many gods. They had all sorts of different types of writing. They had some of the best artist and it was just like magical when you seen it if you ever got to. With these thing it allowed them to live for 4000 years. Work cited > []
 * Benton, Janetta Rebold and DiYanni, Robert. //Arts and Culture: An Introduction to the Humanities.// Volume 1. Prentice Hall. New Jersey, 1998.
 * Bourbon, F. //Lost Civilizations//. Barnes and Noble, Inc. New York, 1998.