16 Chapter 4.3: Minoan Art
MINOAN CIVILIZATION
Based on the island of Crete the Minoan civilization there are many unknowns about the structure and hierarchy of Minoan civilization. Archaeologists rely heavily on the style of their art and architectural remains to fill in the information about their culture that is missing from written record.
TASK
After viewing the source below, please answer the accompanying questions.
Introduction to the Minoans and the Minoan Civilization – History with Cy
Prompt:
Which places are characterized as palatial sites and why?
How are the palatial sites connected and what does this connection insinuate?
What surrounded the palaces and how did they function?
What defense systems seem to be suggested and how might they have functioned?
What subjects are popular in Minoan art and what does it suggest about them?
What is one theory about the decline of the Minoans?
MINOAN ARCHITECTURE: KNOSSOS
The videos on the bronze age civilizations of the Aegean introduced some of the architectural and artistic accomplishments of the Minoans. Sophisticated architects, the Minoans built huge palace complexes with a similar layout across the island of Crete. Sir Arthur Evans excavated the most famous of these complexes at Knossos around the turn of the twentieth century.
TASK
The videos and readings below discuss the layout, function, and architectural achievements of the palaces. After viewing/reading the sources below, please answer the accompanying questions:
Palace at Knossos – Art History 101
Knossos – Smarthistory
Prompt:
The sources describe the different phases of building of the Palace at Knossos (see the summary below). What are the dates for each period and what events brought it to a close?
Old Palace Period
New Palace Period
Post Palace Period
While the palace complex at Knossos may have housed a ruler or important family, its function extended far beyond being mere living quarters. What evidence provide clues to the multi-functional nature of the site?
The ground plans of structures and architectural ruins can be tricky to understand since the videos often show fleeting glimpses of what may look like a pile of rubble. Below is a list of important features that were present during the two phases of building that took place at Knossos under the Minoans (the Old Palace and the New Palace). Upload a photograph of each or highlight where it was on the ground plan of Knossos and state how it functioned or aspects of its technique.
Old Palace Period – upload one image from list below
(Royal Road, Central Court, Storage Rooms, grain storage pits, artisan rooms)
New Palace Period – upload one image from list below
(Throne room, lightwell, domestic quarters, south entrance, architectural innovations)
MINOAN PAINTING KNOSSOS AND AKROTIRI
When Sir Arthur Evans excavated the Palace at Knossos he discovered that the Minoans decorated the rooms of the palace with brightly colored frescoes. The subjects of the frescoes included scenes from nature and ceremonial and ritual processions and activities. Scholars still speculate on what is portrayed and its meaning or significance.
Another find spot for Minoan frescoes is in a town (Akrotiri) that had been buried by a volcanic eruption on the island Thera (modern Santorini). One of the Cyclades islands, the inhabitants, if not Minoans, were under their control or culturally influenced by them. Often considered the Pompeii of the Aegean, the houses of Akrotiri were decorated with frescoes of a wide range of subjects.
TASK
After reading/viewing the following sources on Minoan frescoes, please complete the information requested by the prompts.
MINOAN Civilization | Frescos of Knossos and Akrotiri | Tiny Epics (Bull-leaping fresco, Flotilla conflict)
Frescoes from Akrotiri, Thera – Smarthistory (Landscape, Antelopes, Boxing Boys)
Promps:
True fresco (technique):
Subject matter and view of nature – how to interpret:
Representation of boys in “Boxing Boys”:
Bull-leaping ritual:
Figural representation:
MINOAN POTTERY
Minoans were expert potters and they created several different styles of pottery in the time span of their civilization. In fact, their styles of pottery are so distinct that scholars often date objects based on them.
TASK
The following video explores two types of pottery. After viewing, please respond to the questions below.
Minoan Pottery – Art History 101
For both types of ceramics presented (Kamares war and Marine style) please describe the color and its placement, nature of images and their style, and any other distinctive features.
MINOAN STYLE: REALISTIC AND STYLIZED
Sources have drawn attention to the Minoan’s focus on the natural world and their careful depiction of its beauty. While capable of some naturalistic passages, Mesopotamian and Egyptian art was far more formal and structured.
TASK
After viewing/reading the sources, please respond to the accompanying questions.
Bull’s Head Rhyton – Smarthistory
Prompt:
Describe which aspects of this object’s representation are realistic and which are stylized (2 each)?
MINOAN ART AND INTERPRETATION
While Minoan art suggests a people who appreciated nature there is much that is not known about their way of life, rites of passage, or religion. Described as a religious people that created architectural spaces for worship and held cave and mountainous sites sacred the details of their religious rituals are unknown. They appear to have had a close connection with nature and worshipped female and solar deities. Religious rituals likely included sacrifice and offerings and possibly bull leaping. Bulls are featured prominently in their art.
TASK
In the absence of written record, the interpretation of a vast range of Minoan images remain speculation. After viewing/ reading the sources, please answer the accompanying questions.
Bull-leaping fresco from the palace of Knossos – Smarthistory
Prompt:
What suggests that this fresco represents a rite of passage ceremony?
Snake Goddess – Smarthistory
Prompt:
Who did this figure represent according to Sir Arthur Evans and why?
Why is Sir Arthur Evans’s interpretation problematic?
Minoan Civilization | Horns of Consecration | Tiny Epics
Prompt:
The motif or symbol shown in this video was often connected to the Minoan worship of the bull. What alternative reading is presented here and why?
