6th+hour+2011-2012+Minoans

Minoan painting (Unknown, 2010)
 * Introduction**

The Minoan population reached its peak between 1750 B.C. and 1500 B.C. The Minoan people lived on the small island of Crete (located in the Mediterranean Sea), in the city of Knossos. The name "Minoans" comes from the previous, legendary king of Crete, Minos. The Minoan population mysteriously disappeared around 1400 B.C. no one for sure knows the cause of this. However, archaeologists believe it may have been from a nearby volcano eruption.

** Society and Culture ** Minoans traders in Egypt (Unknown, Unknown) The Minoans were a mercantile people how engaged in overseas trade. Their culture showed that they were very organized in 1700 B.C. The Minoans were involved in the Bronze Age tin trade, the tin alloyed with copper created bronze. The Minoans also traded in saffron, ceramics, copper, tin, and gold and silver. There was a network of trade with Greece, Cyprus, Syria and many other island countries of the time. Minoan men wore loincloths and kilts where as the women wore robes with short sleeves. Women could have also worn strapless fitted bodices. The patterns on the clothes emphasized a symmetrical design. Minoan people could have worn other forms of clothes at the time that we have no record of.

= **Written Language** = Clay piece that had Minoan writing on it. ( Unknown, 2009) Minoans had advanced writing skills. Around 3000 B.C., they used clay tablets to write on. Their language was sometimes referred to as Eteocretan but it's often confused with the written language Linear A, and a language written in an Euboean-derived alphabet. Linear A was later replaced by Linear B. The earliest dated writing found on Crete was Cretan hieroglyphs but it’s not known if the language is Minoan.

**Cities** A palace in Knossos ( Unknown, 2011) Minoans mostly lived on the island of Crete. Crete had more than 90 cities. Some of the Minoan sites/towns were Pyrgos, Vasiliki, Fournu Korfi, Gournia, Pseira, Arkalochori, Karfi, Agia Triada, Akrotiri, Zominthos, and Mount Juktas. There was also Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Kato Zakros, and Galatas. Lots of the Minoan sites/towns had earthquake damage.

** Art/Architecture ** A closeup of a minoan dolphin fresco ( Dempsey, 2001) Minoans had many different paintings, all with different meanings. Most of these paintings were colorful wall paintings. A few examples of these paintings are dolphins leaping through Aegean waters, young Minoan nobles walking in gardens, and one of their athletic contests where they had to jump through the horns of a charging bull. In palaces they made stone carvings and carved seal stone. However, one of the best preserved pieces of art from the Minoans is their pottery. They had different designs for almost every piece of pottery that they had made. Some examples are spirals, different shapes, fish, flowers, and different animals. The styles of the patterns had changed over time. Not only were the Minoans unique with their art, but the way they built things as well. The Minoans were known for their inverted columns, which were wider at the top, then got smaller towards the bottom. They made them from wood, instead of stone like other civilizations, also they painted these red. Minoan cities were connected by stone paved roads. These streets had water drains, and sewer facilities for the upper class people, made from clay pipes. Housing however, was almost the same for everyone. Houses were made from stone and mud brick walls that were two to three levels high. The roofs were flat tiled, and often had wooden floors. Early palaces were large U shaped buildings that had a big central court yard. The layout changed over time; first palace period had a square within a square design, and second palace period had more internal divisions and corridors. **Religion**

The Minoan religion was closely related to Greece’s religion of gods and goddesses and Egypt’s religion of the many gods and goddesses that came into their daily lives. The Minoans focused mostly on goddesses rather than the gods. The goddesses and gods depending on what they represented had a vague shape of an animal head instead. ** Job Specialization ** They exploited and exported timber, food, cypress wood, wine, currents, olive oil, wool, cloth, herbs, and purple dye to Egypt, Syria, Cyprus, and the Aegean Islands and the Greek mainland. They imported precious stones, copper, ivory, silver, gold, tin, and other raw materials. ** Public Works ** There were many palaces. There was Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Kato Zakros, and Galatas. Knossos the largest and was purchased for excavations by Evens on March 16, 1900. Phaistos is the second largest; it was excavated by the Italian school shortly after Knossos. Malia was the subject of French excavations. Kato Zakros, which is a palatial site excavated by the Greek archaeologists in the far east of the island and it is also referred to as “Zakro” in archaeological literature. Finally Galatas which is the most recently confirmed palatial site.

**Conclusion** Young Minoan prince (HistoryWiz 1999-2008) In conclusion, the Minoan people were very smart for their time period, from their building to expressing their lives by art and written language. They were also very organized which helped with the success of expanding their trade over seas. Despite their sudden disappearance around 1400 B.C., the Minoans had a great impact on history. Although they are gone, their artifacts, and overall imprint will forever be on Crete.