CLAS 1P91 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Death Masks, Anax, Lefkandi
Document Summary
Lecture 2: minoans and mycenaean"s of bronze age greece: minoan civilization 2200-1450 bce, sir arthur evans: excavated knossos on crete, began in 1900, rediscovered a lost civilization called minoan, after legendary king minos. Minoan thalassocrasy: the control of the sea- acted as a wall. Didn"t have to fear attacks in/out of island. Examining art: prominence of bulls- relationship to myth, minoans did acrobatics on top of bulls, prominence of women in art- and society, does this mean they were leaders in society- no, but may have been religious leaders. Trades- foreign contacts: egypt, levant, cyprus, cyclades, mycenaean"s. How did the palaces disappear: 1450 bce- all minoans palaces except knossos were destroyed, suspect 1: big volcano (ancient thera- modern santorini)= tidal wave & ash, suspect 2: knossians (all other 9 palaces were destroyed) But why destroy them and abandon all palaces over crete (take over land: suspect 3: mycenaean"s. Linear b found at knossos after destructions- a mycenaean script.
