(2000 B.C.E - 1450 B.C.E.)
Crete
 The earliest civilization associated with Greece was on
the island of Crete
 It is the largest island off mainland Greece.
Knossos
 The famous Minoan civilization was discovered by Arthur Evans,
 He is an archeologist who discovered the remains of a palace at Knossos.
Knossos
 This palace was thought to be the palace of King Minos
alluded to in the writings of the ancient Greek historian
Thucydides.
The throne room at Knossos
 The Minoan civilization is named after King Minos who
legend told, dominated a large part of the Aegean Sea
with his powerful Navy.
The queens apartment at Knossos
 His palace had over 800 rooms including apartments for
the king & queen, a temple, workshops, and a school.
The Palace Knossos
 It was also both government house & storehouse for taxes
collected in the form of olive oil, wine, & grain.
 Cretans exported bronze utensils, olive oil, wine, and vases.
 They had indoor plumbing with piped in water and flush
toilets.
 This did not become common again for 3600 years.
 They developed systems of writing - Linear A, and Linear B.
 These scripts were discovered on clay tablets by Evans.
The Palace Knossos
 The palace was decorated with frescoes depicting
scenes of nature, Minoan life, and entertainment
such as boxing and bull-leaping.
 The many roomed palace & images of bull-leaping
may explain the Legend of the Minotaur.
The Legend of the Minotaur
 King Minos demanded an annual tribute of seven
youths and seven girls from Athens (mainland greece)
to sacrifice to the Minotaur (Monsterous man-bull).
 This took place in a maze (the labyrinth).
 A hero, Theseus, destroyed the bull with the help of the Kings
daughter, Ariadne.
 She provided him with a magic sword and a chord to find his way
out of the maze.
 Minoans had trade with the mainland Greeks (Mycenaeans) so
Greeks must have visited.
 Some might have participated in bull leaping rituals, and died.
 The Greeks eventually had a hand in destroying the Minoans
culture and taking over their lands.
 Minoans grew and prospered, but their civilization ended in 1450
B.C.E.
 A volcanic eruption on a nearby island may have been the cause.
 This may explain the legend of the lost continent of Atlantis.