Ancient Greek Civilization | Minoan Crete (Lecture 2)

Lecture 2: The second millenium BC witnessed two extraordinary civilizations in Greece: Minoan Crete and the Mycenaean culture of the mainland. In this lecture we examine the first of these two, the civilization of Bronze-Age Crete. The distinctive nature of Minoan sites at Cnossos, Mallia, Phaistos and Zakro has led archaeologists to dub this culture a palatial society, in which the magnificent Minoan palaces served as the administrative, religious, and economic centers of a society that was highly complex and hierarchically structured.

The fact that this society has left no literature and is known entirely through the work of archaeologists poses questions for us. To what extent can archaeology alone recreate the story of a culture?

Minoan Crete also demonstrates the degree to which we remain indebted to the work of ninteenth-century archaeologists like Sir Arthur Evans, amateurs in the true sense of the word.

Suggested Readings
Warren, P. (1989) The Aegean Civilizations. New York.
Marinatos, N. (1984) Art and Religion in Thera. Athens: Ekdotike Athenon.

Lecture 3: https://www.bitchute.com/video/i3phXuV4Hxjz/