The
Minoan Period -2600 BC to 1100 BC:
While the first
inhabitants of Crete are estimated to have arrived around 6000 BC, the era
which holds the keen interest of the visitor to Crete is the Minoan Period
-a period which lasted roughly 1500 years. It is the scale and complexity
of this culture as it
evolved that intrigues
-the
expansive and intricately designed architecture, the delicate and
beautiful art expressed in wall painting, pottery , jewellery , sculptures
and the entire way of life to which these remains bear witness.
The palace at Knossos is the most immediate way to experience this past. While there was a large settlement on this site from Neolithic times, the palace was first constructed in 1900 BC. After 200 years it was devastated by an earthquake and a new palace was built on the same site. 250 years later (1450 BC) there wasmassive destruction all over Crete -again, it is speculated that an earthquake or the tidal wave aftermath of an exploding volcano was responsible.
The establishment of the
various palaces such as the one at Knossos appear to have been
administrative centres -economic, social, religious and judicial; the
Minoans were not a militaristic prop1e. The focus of worship was a goddess,
a kind of earth mother whose existence was reified in various forms -such
as symbols of snakes, doves, dolphins. Other powerful religious images
were the figures of a bull, its horns and a double headed axe.
Facilities were
sophisticated: in the villas and the palaces were elaborate central-heating
systems based on hot-water circulating in conduits. There was a sewage
system of underground pipes. The palace building of Knossos is a labyrinth
of subtly ventilated complexes with wells of natural light and a skillful
command of the physical beauty of the environment.
Trading was extensive and
there were elaborate harbour facilities from which ships set out for most
of the then-known world. Paved roads led from building to building. The
disciplined exuberance of the people found expression in competitive
sporting events, in art, in ceramics and superb craftsmanship, and in
ritual and religious celebration.
After the restoration of the palace at Knossos, the Minoans were invaded and taken over by the Mycenaens who established themselves there till 1380 BC. There-after, the Dorians from Northern Greece invaded and asserted their warlike, highly disciplined way of life (today one may see the stones inscribed with their legal code at Gortyn -an ancient legal text which is believed to be the first European 'book' of statutes). The Dorians were also the founders of Sparta on the mainland.
