Quiz 1 Flashcards
Who are Heinrich Schliemann and Sophia Schliemann?
Heinrich Schliemann: discoverer of Troy but used poor excavation skills to uncover the city; assumed that Troy II was Homeric Troy but Troy VI was the closest archaeological match
Sophia Schliemann: wife to Heinrich; could recite Homer; modelled “Jewels of Helen” from “Priam’s Treasure” (Troy II), but the jewelry was actually too old to be Helen’s
What are the four associations to the Minoans?
- Europa and the Bull: Zeus the Bull abducts Europa; their child is Minos, the first king of the land → Minos for “Minoans” and Europa for “Europe”
- Pasiphae and the Bull: Pasiphae has sex with a literal bull and gives birth to the Minotaur, who is kept within the Labyrinth
- Bulls appear fairly often in Minoan art and architecture (eg. horns of consecration, bull leaping fresco).
- Labyrinths in Minoan architecture appeared as ground plans of palaces (eg. Knossos, Phaistos, Mallia, and Zakros)
Characteristics of Minoan Palaces
labyrinth-like floor plans; built outward from central courtyard; large storage areas with large storage jars (pithoi); bathrooms with flush toilets and drainage system; few defensive walls; residential quarters had stairwells and light wells
Functions of Minoan Palaces
centers for collection, storage, and redistribution of food and other goods; centers of craft productivity; centralized administration; cult activities embedded in the palaces (eg. lustral basin and ritual pool at Knossos)
Economy of Minoan Palaces
mixed farming and crafts; specialized production of wine, olive oil, pottery and textiles; overseas contacts with Aegean, Anatolia, Cyprus, Levant, and Egypt for trade; used seals for record keeping
Minoan Religion
used extra-palatial shrines for peaks, caves, and trees
Peak sanctuaries: palaces established in their vicinity; horns of consecration framed views of peak sanctuaries
Cave: Plato said Minos visited the cave where Zeus was born; led to offerings to the goddess of childbirth
Tree: depicted on rings and seals; ecstatic dancing and activity
Near Eastern Influence on Crete?
ARGUMENT IN FAVOR: similar appearance and features between Near Eastern palatial buildings and that of Crete
Minoan Thalassocracy
referred to Minos’ rule of the sea because he had the first navy and conquered/colonized Cycladic islands (eg. Thera Expedition Fresco); led Thucydides to believe that the Minoans had an empire
Archaeological Evidence for Minoan Overseas Settlements
at Kythera, other Aegean islands, Miletus; motivation to go oversea was to find sources of copper and tin to make into bronze; Thera (aka Santorini) became the Bronze Age city of the Akrotiri and had lots of Minoan influence (eg. architectural features, linear A tablets, horns of consecration, Minoan pottery)
Fall of Knossos
indicated by signs of mainland presence on Crete; eg. warrior burials, new vase type, tholos tombs, linear b tablets, megaron centered palaces
Mycenaeans
had Minoan influence; first greek speakers of history; early Mycenaeans existed in the Middle Helladic, Late Helladic II (aka ca. 1600 - 1400 BC) and had tholos (beehive) tombs in Messenia Argolid but shaft graves in Mycenae
Shaft Graves of Mycenae
discovered by Schliemann; Mycenae is the city over which Agamemnon ruled; abandoned when Bronze Age ended; monumental in size; held bodies, vases, treasures, and death masks (eg. Warrior Vase, Gold Mask “of Agamemnon”, silver rhyton portraying a siege, inlaid swords and daggers) * rhytons are drinking vessels
Mycenaean Palaces + Features
Menelaion at Sparta, ca. 1450 - 1400 BC ; Mycenae, Tiryns, Thebes, ca. 1400 - 1340 BC; Pylos, Gla, ca. 1340 - 1200 BC
Features: built outwards from a megaron (great hall) with large hearth at center; “cyclopean” fortifications; no staircases or light wells; had bathroom and rainwater drainage but no flush toilets; Minoan style frescoes but depicted hunting and battle scenes (eg. Boar Hunt Fresco)
Linear A and Linear B Writing Differences + What did we learn from Linear B tablets?
Linear A: greek but not deciphered; from Crete and likely not Indo-European
Linear B: early form of greek and deciphered; from Mainland Greece
Linear B taught us 5 things:
- Social and political hierarchy: wanax (highest rank); lawagetas; basileus (king/chieftain)
- Skilled workers: wheel makers, furniture makers, gold and glass workers, smiths
- Slaves: women with working children
- Close control over craft production, agriculture, animal husbandry
- Writing used for administration, therefore there was a low literacy rate
Mycenaean Religion
Mycenaeans adopted features of Minoan religion (Eg. snakes, double axes, Great Goddess/Mistress of Animals, bull rhytons, horns of consecration); mentioned names of non-Minoan gods (eg. Hera, Poseidon, Zeus, Artemis); cult centered at heart in megaron
