BEGINNINGS – THE GREEKSCHAPTER 9

THE MINOANS9-1

INTRODUCTION A. Rose around 2800 B.C. on Crete (island

in Mediterranean) B. Grew wheat, barley, grapes, & olives C. Became good carpenters &

metalworkers which helped build ships 1. made them slimmer (to go faster) 2. used 2/3 masts instead of one 3. put a deck over the rowers’ heads

(protection) 4. put a wooden beam in front of the ship to

plow into enemy ships

I. THE PEOPLE A. Long dark hair & bronzed skin B. Clothes

1. men Striped loincloths Long robes embroidered with flowers Trousers that bag at the knees

2. women Full skirts Short-sleeved jackets that laced in front

*all wore tight belts to show off their small waists * wore jewelry – gold & silver earrings, necklaces,

bracelets, & rings

C. Hobbies 1. men

Farmed & fished Raised cattle, long-horned sheep, & goats Served in the navy & royal guard

2. women Performed household duties Attended sporting events Hunted in chariots

3. all Loved sports Built the world’s first arena (open air) About 500 people could fit in arena (king had his

own box seats)

D. Arena sports 1. boxing matches 2. bull leaping (bullfighting)

A young man & woman fought the bull together Man would grab the horns When the bull raised its head, the man would

do a somersault & land on the bull’s back Woman stood behind the bull & would catch the

man as he did another flip off the bull *considered a religious event as well as a sport

II. CITIES & PALACES A. City design

1. middle of city stood a palace 2. were NOT surrounded by walls

(surrounded by the sea) B. Largest city was Knossos

1. 28 acres 2. 1/5 of area was taken up by a 5-story

palace that served as a government building, temple, factory, & warehouse

C. Palace 1. built of stone & sun-dried brick 2. inside walls were covered with frescoes

(watercolor paintings made on damp plaster)

3. had bathrooms with bathtubs & flushable toilets

4. had hot and cold running water & portable fireboxes to heat rooms

5. had several entrances that formed a labyrinth (network of paths that make it difficult to find the way out)

6. called the House of the Double Ax (because labyrinth means double ax)

THE PALACE AT KNOSSOS

D. Sea captains, merchants & shipbuilders lived in houses around the palace

E. Next lived artisans F. Houses were built side by side

around courtyards & stood 2-stories tall G. Each house had their own drains

and wells H. Entrance to houses were through

the roof 1. they lowered a ladder into the opening 2. wooden doors made of parchment (thin

animal skin) were added later

III. RULERS & RELIGION A. Rulers of Crete were priest-kings

1. made laws 2. climb Mt. Juktas to get signs from heaven

B. Many gods 1. main god was Great Goddess – mother earth 2. she made plants grow & gave children 3. Minoans built shrines (sacred places to

worship) 4. usually on hilltops because it was closer to

heaven

C. Sacred goods 1. left offerings to the gods – human hair,

fruit, flowers, jewels, & gold 2. lily was sacred flower 3. double ax was sacred symbol – power

of Mother Earth 4. dove was sacred animal – flew to

heavens

IV. THE FALL OF THE MINOANS A. About 1400 BC the Minoan civilization fell

into the hands of the Mycenaeans. B. Explained in the story of Theseus & the

Minotaur Greek prince, Theseus, was brought to Knossos Was supposed to be sacrificed to the Minotaur (huge

monster held in the labyrinth) Minotaur had the body of a human and the head of a

bull Theseus killed the Minotaur with a magical sword When the Minotaur died, so did the Minoan

civilization

THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR