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Year 9
Unit 1 - Bronze Age Greece
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100 years ago the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans conducted the first extensive archaeological excavation of Knossos of the island of Crete and uncovered evidence of Europe’s oldest civilised community. He called the civilisation ‘Minoan’, after a legendary Cretan king called Minos.
Minoan civilisation lasted from approximately 2700 to 1450 B.C. This period was during the Aegean Bronze Age. Bronze Age is regarded as the second part of a three-age system for prehistoric societies. (Stone Age comes before and Iron Age after). People had learned to mix copper with a little tin to make a metal called bronze. Sharper and stronger tools could be made with bronze. This made farming and building easier and better than ever before. |
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Written Language
The Minoans were the first ‘historical’ people of Europe because they developed a form of writing. This system is known as Linear A because the symbols consist of lines rather than pictures. Linear A was written on clay tablets which were then left in the Sun to dry. (See right) They were reusable - adding water would soften the clay allowing the tablet to be erased. Luckily for us, some tablets were in buildings which burnt down. The fire hardened the tablets so that they survived, although we don't know what they mean. Other Evidence Since organic evidence has generally decomposed over time, the most important surviving Minoan art is in ceramics (pottery), architecture with frescos (paintings on plaster) that include landscapes, and stone carvings. We know from ancient wall paintings how the Minoans dressed. The men seem to have worn short kilts which were probably made of wool or linen. |
Activities
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Can there be any truth in the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur?
The Legend of Minos' birth
Long, long ago there lived a princess called Europa. She was so beautiful that Zeus, the leader of all the Gods, fell madly in love with her. Zeus was already married to a Goddess. But that did not stop him having love affairs with anyone he fancied- So the God turned himself into a big bull and carried Europa away. With the princess clinging to his back, he swam all the way across the sea from mainland Greece to Crete. Zeus and Europa later had three sons. One of these was Minos. |
Three facts:
Bulls were very important to Minoan culture and many images and statues of bull’s heads have been found. The palace at Knossos contained so many rooms and passages that it must have been easy to get lost. The palace was decorated with images of the double-headed axe or labrys . Therefore the palace could be called ‘the palace of the labrys’ or labyrinth. |
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Theory 1 – Volcanic eruption
The Minoan eruption on the island of Thira occurred at a similar time to that of the Minoan decline. Thira is the present-day island Santorini which is a caldera about 100 km from Crete with an area of approximately 73 km2. This eruption was the second largest volcanic explosion in the history of civilization, ejecting approximately 60 km3 of material. Ash from the volcano fell on Crete and choked off plant life, causing the starvation of the local population. The ash also possibly caused a dramatic change in the climate which made the crops fail. Theory 2 – Earthquake Terrible earthquakes took place under the sea to the north of Crete. They flattened or seriously damaged the Minoan palaces and towns. The earthquakes also helped to cause huge tsunamis or tidal waves, which swept southwards across the sea to the coast of Crete. The huge waves smashed houses, flooded farms and drowned people and cattle. |
Activities
1. Explain what is meant by ‘historical interpretation’. 2. Explain the volcanic eruption theory for Minoan demise. As part of your explanation draw a map of the island Thira, of how you imagine it may have looked before and after the eruption. 3. Explain the earthquake theory for Minoan demise. As part of your explanation draw a diagram to show how the movement of continental plates causes earthquakes in the region. 4. Explain the invasion theory for Minoan demise. Explain why archaeologists believe Minoan demise is not explained by earthquakes and volcanoes alone. Extension activity Watch this longer film 'Atlantis' that explains in more detail the most recent thinking about Minoan demise. |
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Schliemann famously uncovered gold jewellery at the site and had his wife photographed wearing the ‘Jewels of Helen’ (right). It generated a lot of publicity but in reality, the gold came from a much earlier period. Part of what makes the excavation of Hisarlik difficult is that there are at least nine cities built on top of one another. This makes it difficult to distinguish one civilisation from the next. (see below)
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