2025-04-03
The Minoan culture developed for more than two millennia in the Mediterranean area. To this day, on Crete and Santorini we can still see the fascinating legacy of this one of the oldest Bronze Age civilizations. Fragments of magnificent palaces, wall paintings, figurines, vessels, as well as tablets with linear A writing have been preserved.
The Minoan culture began to take shape around 3000 BC on Crete. The twilight of the Minoan culture came with the volcanic eruption on the island of Thira (c. 1628 BC) and the Achaean invasion around 1550 BC. Excavations have confirmed that Minoan culture developed on Crete and on present-day Santorini. It is certain that the Minoans traded with the Aegean islands, mainland Greece and the more developed civilisations of the Middle East.
One of the most important monuments of Minoan culture is the palace at Knossos (also known as the palace of Minos), associated with the myth of the Minotaur, dating from 2000-1570 BC. The palace is devoid of fortifications, which would indicate a period of relative peace and the hegemony of this culture in the area. The palace complex was multi-level, with a throne room in the central part. While in Crete, it is worth visiting the palace to see the famous red columns and wall paintings, including a man jumping over a bull. Near the palace, a number of buildings described as 'villas' have also been discovered, having the character of private residences.
The Minoan painting was naturalistic, with artists attempting to faithfully reproduce nature. This is not naturalism in the modern sense, the use of colours was often conventional (monkeys in blue). Scenes of court life and secular and religious festivities were painted. Depictions of scenes related to warfare were rare. The Minoan painting was strongly influenced by Egyptian painting in terms of both subject and technique.
The Phaistos disk is a clay disk about 16 cm in diameter, covered on two sides with a sequence of inscriptions. The ideograms present on the disk resemble linear A writing. Multiple attempts have been made to decipher the inscriptions, one hypothesis being that the Phaistos disk is a forgery. An American art historian accused Luigi Pernier (the finder of the disc) of wanting to make a name for himself.