The Bronze Age

Meanwhile In Greece …

BackgroundBegan to coalesce into a heterogynous but

identifiable people about the time of the first Olympics (776 B.C.).

Backstory is important to understanding themMinoan PeriodMycenaean PeriodDark Ages

Minoan Period

Palatial PeriodsPrepalatial Period (3200-2000 bc)Protopalatial (2000-1720 bc) – palaces

destroyed by earthquakes about 1720ishNeopalatial (1720-1550 bc) Final Palatial Period (1550-1350 bc) -

Mycenaeans take over

Minoan (?)Sir Arthur Evans responsible for much of

what we know about the Minoans (about 1900)

Name is recent descriptive termKing MinosCity of KnossosMinotaur

Known by the Egyptions as the KafteoKnown by the people is Western Semitic

lands as the Kaftor or Kaftoreans

King MinosThe legendWhere does such a story come form

Mixture of history and mythDominated Greek islands, Mycenae and required

tribute (Thucydides says Minos first king to have a navy)

PalacesFunctioned as storehouse as well as home for

rulerRubble from the palaces looked like labyrinth

Arthur Evans Reconstruction as an analogy for how we do historyPalaceDolphin FrescoGriffin flanking throneDuplication of snake goddess figures

How Advanced?Indoor plumbingGlass windowsSkilled artistsWriting – Linear A

Traded throughout MediterraneanPottery jars from Minos found in Egypt and

in the Western Semitic territoryAlabaster jar lid in Knossos marked with

name of third Hyksos kingHyksos palace in Avaris includes a fresco of

the Minoan styleGilgamesh’ fight with Bull of Heaven may

reflect Minoan influence in Mesopotamia

Religion – Sacred Bulls (Apis)

Religion – Human SacrificeStory of Minotaur eating 14 victimsSacrificial site at Knossos includes human

sacrifice and indicates ritual feasting on the dead

Probably rare – maybe related to Earthquakes suffered by island and attempts to appease Poseidon/Earthshaker

Religion – Snake Goddesses

Sacred War Axe

Why Did Minoan Civilization Fade?Possible Answers

VolcanoEarthquakeMyth of Theseus and the Minotaur points to

the animosity between Mycenae and Knossos

Mycenae (1700-1200 BC)Immigrated from the NorthMycenae gives its name to the civilizationBy 1500, Tribute and culture flowed from

Mycenae to Knossos

Heinrich SchliemannSelf-financed / self-style archaeologistWhere is ancient MycenaeLooking for grave of Agamemnon discovers

the shaft grave inside the lions gate.

The Lion’s Gate

“I have gazed on the face of Agamemnon…”

Commerce & TradeStrong naval power with much sea tradeSunken ship found with merchandise from

no less than seven countries; Egypt, Canaan, Asia Minor, Italy, Cyprus,Baltic,etc.

Linear B used primarily for accounting purposes but it mentions the gods.Decoded by Michael Ventris a WWII

codebreakerEarlier form of Greek

ReligionSnake goddesses (with bodice closed)Worship of the Greek gods (Zeus, Hera,

Athena, Poseidon, etc.) goes back to the second millennium BC on the mainland.

Time of prosperity, until …

Greek Dark AgesCirca 1200-800 bc.Cities abandonedWriting ceasesArt and culture fade awaySophisticated architecture disappearsTrade with foreign nations stops

Vanish from records of other nations

Why Dark Ages?Possible Answers

EarthquakesFamine and PlagueThe Sea Peoples Invasion of the Dorians

thick fortified walls around palacesArt depicts them fighting barbaric peoples, chariots,

armamentTrojan WarAll of the above

Trojan WarAbout 1250 BCPrimary sources

Homer’s Iliad - OdysseyVirgil’s Aeneid

10 Year Siege(compare with Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan)

Was there a Trojan WarHeinrich SchliemannCalvert – American vice-consulNine layered cities

“The Greeks raise a mighty army because of a woman . . . And then invaded Asia and destroyed Priam and his forces. Ever since then, the Persians have regarded the Greeks as their enemies…. They date their hostilities towards Greece from the fall of Ilium.” (Herodotus)