![minoan civilization minoan civilization](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LO6QlrNsFv8/UW4vKRHBjMI/AAAAAAAAAF4/lbJds2m1KvE/s1600/kdz-9822_3_4.jpg)
At the end of the LMIB period, the Minoan palace culture failed catastrophically. On the Greek mainland, LHIIB began during LMIB, showing independence from Minoan influence. The Thera eruption occurred during LMIA (and LHI). This period (the seventeenth and sixteenth centuries, MM III / Neopalatial) represents the apex of the Minoan civilization. But with the start of the Neopalatial period, population increased again, the palaces were rebuilt on a larger scale and new settlements were built all over the island. The Palaces at Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, and Kato Zakros were destroyed. The beginning of its Bronze Age, around 2600 B.C.E., was a period of great unrest in Crete, and also marks the beginning of Crete as an important center of civilization.Īt the end of the MMII period (1700 B.C.E.) there was a large disturbance in Crete, probably an earthquake, or possibly an invasion from Anatolia.
![minoan civilization minoan civilization](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ce/cb/0a/cecb0a77b86771da07fbc77daf210477.jpg)
The oldest signs of inhabitants on Crete are ceramic Neolithic remains that date to approximately 7000 B.C.E. The calendar date of the eruption is extremely controversial see the article on Thera eruption for discussion. The Thera eruption occurred during a mature phase of the LM IA period. The relationship between these systems is given in the accompanying table, with approximate calendar dates drawn from Warren and Hankey (1989).Īll calendar dates given in this article are approximate, and the subject of ongoing debate. Another system, proposed by the Greek archaeologist Nicolas Platon, is based on the development of the architectural complexes known as "palaces" at Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, and Kato Zakros, and divides the Minoan period into Prepalatial, Protopalatial, Neopalatial and Post-palatial periods. Early Minoan I, II, III (EMI, EMII, EMIII).
![minoan civilization minoan civilization](https://worldhistory.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/knossos-and-the-minoan-civilization.jpg)
It divides the Minoan period into three main eras-Early Minoan (EM), Middle Minoan (MM), and Late Minoan (LM). The first, created by Evans and modified by later archaeologists, is based on pottery styles. Rather than give calendar dates for the Minoan period, archaeologists use two systems of relative chronology. Other theories include annihilation by volcanic eruption. The Minoans appear to have been a peaceful, trading people rather than warriors who aimed at conquest, so it is possible that they were defeated by the Mycenaeans. One possibility is that life became too comfortable, that too much was invested in luxury items, too little in what was needed to sustain society. A much debated question is what caused the demise of this ancient civilization. Archeology on Crete has shed light on aspects of Homer's epic. It has even been surmised that the role of women may have contributed to the civilization's demise, attracting the animosity of others for whom women were relegated to more 'menial roles' Greek civilization and myth would draw on that of the Minoans. Men and women appear to have enjoyed the same social status. The Minoan Civilization was a flourishing culture that engaged in trade and commerce with a developed agricultural polity. What the Minoans called themselves is unknown, although the Egyptian place name "Keftiu" and the Semitic "Kaftor" or "Caphtor" and "Kaptara" in the Mari archives, both evidently referring to Minoan Crete, are suggestive. It could also have been used to describe the current ruler of the Minoan civilization. It is possible, though unsure, that Minos was indeed a term used to identify a specific Minoan ruler. The term "Minoan" was coined by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans after the mythic "king" Minos, associated with the labyrinth, which Evans identified as the site at Knossos.