Press release
"In Minos' Labyrinth"
Crete -- the first advanced European civilization
January 27th to April 29th, 2001 in the Karlsruhe Castle
The first major special exhibition about Minoan Crete
The first comprehensive exhibition of Minoan art and culture to be seen outside of Greece
will be held in the Badisches Landesmuseum from January 27th to April 29th, 2001 in the
Karlsruhe Castle. Europe's first advanced civilization will come alive through masterpieces,
some up to 5,000 years old, that have been borrowed from international museums.
The everyday life and the splendor of palace culture on Crete, the island of the legendary
King Minos, will be presented in a large-scale exhibition covering over 1,500 m2.
Approximately 460 exhibition items on loan from museums in Greece, Germany, England,
France, Holland, Switzerland, Lebanon, and Israel provide an overview of the entire time
span of the Minoan culture from the Iron Age (around 3000 BC) to its final collapse in
approximately 1200 AD. These items include precious jewelry, valuable pottery, fragments of
famous colorful murals, stone and bronze vessels, seal stones and rings, writing tablets,
sarcophagi, tools, weapons and the man-sized storage vessels typical for the Minoans.
Minoan culture
Cretan culture began developing almost 5000 years ago, and when it reached its high point
around 2000 BC, it was comparable to the other major civilizations of the period in Egypt and
in the Middle East. As excellent sailors, the Minoans maintained extensive trade relationships
and controlled the seas around Crete. They were not only imaginative inventors and
masterful architects and administrators, they also developed the first writing system in
Europe. We have its artists and craftsmen to thank for some of the finest works of art of the
time period. In addition to the unusually life-like depictions of animals and plants, the double
axe and steer are repeated throughout, the most important symbols of the Cretan religion.
The exhibition
This unparalleled exhibition in the Karlsruhe Castle is divided into several categories which
will illustrate life as it was in Minoan Crete. Exhibition visitors will gain insight into myths,
sacred and religious cults, palace culture, daily life, sea and trade relationships, and MinoanMykenian Crete after the first invasions from the mainland.
After its collapse, Minoan civilization remained long forgotten until British archeologist Sir
Arthur Evans began with the first excavations. The exhibition will also cast light on the
exciting history of this impressive discovery.
Marc Cameron's fresco reconstructions are an "exhibition within the exhibition." In the 1960s
this British archaeologist developed a new interpretation of Minoan imagery and symbolism.
On the basis of his own research and the most current studies, he produced color drawings
of these impressive murals which, in the context of a comprehensive presentation of the
Minoan civilization, will now be shown for the first time.
In Minos' Labyrinth. Crete -- the first advanced European civilization
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In addition, several specially-prepared models of Minoan architecture will be presented.
For example, the Karlsruhe-based designers Uta and Peter Gautel have built the world's first
authentic replica of the unique palace grounds of Knossos, "Minos' labyrinth."
The exhibition's architect, Kurt Ranger from Stuttgart, uses his arrangements to make the
world of the Minoans come alive in a most impressive way. He has achieved this especially
through his design of the holy shrines, the palaces and the Cretan landscape.
At the end of the exhibition, a typical Greek tavern offering Cretan cuisine provides the
museum visitor with an opportunity to relax.
The accompanying program
Visitors of all ages are invited on the weekends to get some hands-on experience in an
archaeological workshop in the "Grabungshaus" (excavation house). Other workshops are
available which will introduce adults to the art of Minoan pottery making and mural painting
and to the latest techniques of excavation and archaeological documentation.
In order to provide a comprehensive picture of the island of Crete and its culture, entertaining
and informative special events will also accompany the exhibition. Interesting lectures will
address individual aspects of the exhibition itself or present the traditional music and
literature of Crete. The offerings are rounded out by "Cretan evenings" with a special tour
followed by dinner in Kafenion, a film evening, concerts and a dance course. The highlight of
the accompanying program is the German-Greek Easter celebration, which will be held in the
Karlsruhe Castle on April 15th, 2001, the date for Easter among all Christian churches.
The catalogue
A 372-page catalogue containing approximately 770 pictures has been published by Biering
and Brinkmann for the occasion of the exhibition. This volume, which could become the
standard work on Minoan culture, can be purchased in the Badisches Landesmuseum for
DM 58 (DM 78 hardcover) and is also available in bookstores.
Tours
An audio tour is included in the admission fee of DM 12 (reduced admission DM 8). Public
tours held daily at 3 pm cost an additional DM 4.
Opening times
Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am - 6 pm.
Project director: Prof. Dr. Michael Maaß, Tel. 0721 / 926 6525, Fax: ... 6537
Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe – Pressestelle – Schloss – 76131 Karlsruhe
Ursula Richardt Tel. 0721 / 926 6389 – Fax: 0721 / 926 6801 – E-Mail: Info.richardt@landesmuseum.de
Nina Gothe
Tel. 0721 / 926 6339 – Fax: 0721 / 926 6801 – E-Mail: Info.gothe@landesmuseum.de