What are the Minoans known as?
why were they known as pre greeks?
Because they established an advanced society almost 1500 years before the greeks.
When were the Minoans discovered?
in the 1900's.
Who discovered the Minoans?
Sir Arthur Evans
why were they named the Minoans?
They were named after legendary stories about King Minos, the king of the time.
What did the Minoans call themselves?
We don't know.
When did Minoan civilization exist?
From 3000-1400 B.C.
What are the crossroads that Crete lies at?
It lies at the crossroads of 3 continents...Europe, Asia and Africa.
Where did the Minoan civilization develop?
On the island of Crete between the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Sea.
Give an example of the movement theme of geography.
There have been Minoan goods found in Egypt and Egyptian goods found on Crete.
What did Minoan people primarily do?
They were farmers and traders.
What did they grow?
Wheat, barley, grapes and olives.
What did they trade excess goods for?
pottery jewelry, leather and bronze artifacts.
Why did Minoans become a great sea power?
Because of their location.
What did they add to their ship in order to ram other ships?
Beam added to prow (front of ship).
What two things made their ships faster?
Masts , and they were slimmer.
What is a mast?
a pole that holds the sail
What did they use on their ships to protect them?
A deck (roof) over the rowers.
What were the physical characteristics of the Minoan people?
they were short, small, and had thin waists and bronze skin, and dark hair.
How did the Minoan men dress?
Men wore loincloths, long robes, trousers that were bagged at the knees.
How did the Minoan women dress?
They wore full skirts, short sleeve jackets that were laced or open in the front, belts and jewlery.
What were Minoan women able to do?
They were able to ride chariots, go hunting, and watch sporting events.
Did the Minoans love sports?
What sports did they love/
boxing and bull- leaping.
What was their favorite sport?
What is bull leaping?
a form of bull fighting..
How did the manoan man fight a bull?
They would tumble over the bull's horns and do a back flip into a female partners arm.
Where did Manoans bull leap?
In arenas, as Minoans built the first of these.
Name two reasons why bull leaping was important.
Religious meaning, and entertainment.
What was the religious meaning of bull leaping?
the bull symbolizes the underworld and death, and the athlete symbolizes mother earth and life.
What does the bull symbolize for minoans?
It symbolizes power.
Why are Bulls very important to the Minoans?
Due to the famous Minotaur myth.
What was significant about the many cities that Minoans built?
They were all different than most ancient civilizations.
what stood at the center of all Minoan cities?
A palace rather than a temple.
Did the Minoans build walls around their cities?
What did the Minoans use for protection around their cities?
Were the Minoans peacefull people?
What was the largest city that they built?
How large was Knossos?
it covered 28 acres of land.
What covered one fifth of the city of Knossos?
A five story.
What did Knossos palace serve as?
A government building, temple, factory and warehouse.
What did the passageways, twisted corridors, halllways and rooms of the palace form?
What else did the palace have?
It was advanced because of the drainage and plumbing it had.
what did the drainage system do?
It brought water in and took sewage away
What did the plumbing do for the palace?
It provided hot and cold running water.
How did the Minoans decorate the inside walls of the Palace?
With brightly colored frescoes which is why we know so much about their culture.
What is a frescoe?
It is a water color painting on wet plaster walls.
What did the Minoan artwork resemble?
Egyptian style artwork, as it gave a profile view with a full eye shown.
What did the Minoans decorate with to symbolize power?
Bull's heads, horns and double axes.
What does labyrinth mean?
What did the Minoans use to hold up the roof?
Columns which the Greeks would soon copy,.
What myth took place at the Palace of Knossos ?
Daedalus and Icarus Myth.
What was significant about the Minoan Religion?
They were polytheistic which means had many gods.
who was the Mother Earth goddess?
She was the goddess of fertility and giver of life.
What happened at Mount Juktas?
Priests and kings climbed it and looked for signs from heaven to know what to do.
What is a shrine?
A sacred place to worship built in the palaces, house tops and hilltops.
Why did the Minoans come to an end?
No one is certain.
What are the three philosophies as to why they came to an end?
Mythological Fall Theory, Geological or Natural Fall Theory and the Historical Fall Theory.
What is the Mythological Fall Theory?
That once the minotaur was killed, Cretan poser also died , but this is probably not true.
What is the Natural or Geological Fall Theory?
The natural theory says that a volcanic eruption on Island of Thera in 1645 BC caused an earthquake, tidal waves, and volcanic ash that crippled ancient cities, ruined crops, caused famine and political unrest.
What is the Historical Fall Theory?
The Historical Fall Theory says that Mycenaeans from Southern Greece conquered Crete and took control of peaceful Minoans.
What have they found on Crete to substantiate the Historical Fall Theory?
They have found war helmets on Crete.
What were five Minoan and Cretan contributions to our society?
The potters wheel, frescoe making, ship building, the Palace of Knossos, and the Myths of Minotaur and Daedalus and Icarus which allows us to teach lessons to our children.
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