Recording-2025-02-06T19:23:36.013Z

Minoan Religious Artifacts

• Artifacts Outside Walls

  • Ritual equipment often found outside ceremonial walls.

  • Important ritual items include offering tables and other implements used during ceremonies.

• Double Axe

  • Most recognized Minoan religious symbol.

  • Large bronze double axes often found decorating ritual vessels.

  • Stored in small rooms (e.g., a fancy building in Hawaii) but brought out for rituals.

  • Sometimes used as architectural crowning elements, found on roofs and altars.

• Minoan Deities

  • Few identifiable deities in Minoan art, with a focus on female divinities.

  • Common depictions include a seated/standing woman often referred to as the "Mistress of the Animals," associated with snakes and lions.

  • Attributes of the goddess include a staff and typical dress resembling sacred robes.

• Snake Goddess

  • Iconic representation of deity holding snakes, often linked to fertility.

  • Notably made of faience (a type of glass-like ceramic), indicative of Minoan artistry.

Societal Changes and Destruction Events

• Collapse of Minoan Society

  • At the end of the Neopalatial period, most palaces were destroyed, likely due to human activity rather than natural disasters.

  • Evidence from sites like Gournia shows people barricaded themselves, expecting to return, indicating social upheaval.

• Influence of Knossos

  • Following destructions, Knossos may have exerted authority over Crete, becoming the center of a territorial state.

  • Integration of mainland practices, such as certain burial customs, observed in Knossos.

• Interaction with Other Cultures

  • Increased trade and cultural exchanges with places like modern Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.

  • Not all scholars agree that Minoans were a peaceful society; they had a complex interaction with mainland Greeks,

Main Phases of the Mainland Greek Civilization

• Early Bronze Age (3000 - 1600 BCE)

  • Limited evidence due to few excavated sites. Culture developed from preceding Neolithic periods.

  • Architectural developments began with structures covered in terracotta tiles, a notable advancement in world architecture.

• House of Tiles

  • Notable site in Lerna, represented monumental public architecture with evidence of social structures.

  • Decorative ceilings and motifs indicate the importance of communal events and possible redistribution practices.

Mycenaean Civilization

• Grave Circles at Mycenae

  • Grave Circle A and B feature shaft graves marking a formative period of Mycenaean civilization.

  • Significant finds include gold and electrum burial masks, jewelry, and intricate pottery.

• Burial Practices

  • Notably elaborate treatments for the dead, with personalized markers (like stelae) akin to modern tombstones.

  • Gold masks and ornaments crafted using the repousse technique highlight artistic sophistication.

• Artistic Depictions

  • Mycenaean pottery includes hunting scenes and nature motifs with significant artistic variation.

  • Notable interactions with Minoan styles and themes observed in artistic productions.

Summary of Societal Evolution

• Evidence indicates a community-focused structure rather than strict polities.

• Minoans influenced by and interacted with various cultures, including the mainland Greeks.

• Mycenaean civilization characterized by distinct grave offerings and architectural advancements, indicating a shift in social and cultural practices.