Life as a Minoan
What was daily life as a Minoan like on Crete, living in palaces like the ones at Knossos, Malia, Phaistos, and Zakros, and what were their religious beliefs?
Life as a Minoan at Knossos
Greece may be the birthplace of the Olympic Games, but long before the first torch was carried through a stadium in classical times, Cretan athletes awed the crowds by turning somersaults over the horns of charging bulls.
Europe’s First Civilisation
Crete was the home of Europe’s first civilisation, which flourished here from around 3000 BC until 1100 BC. Amazingly, it lay hidden until, the 20th century, when the English archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans began excavating Knossos.
He called this ancient race the Minoans, after the mythical Greek King Minos. It seems, however, that Minos was a title, not a personal name, rather like the Egyptian Pharoah, and at least 22 rulers bore this name.
These priest-kings built impressive palaces – Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, and Zakros are the largest discovered to date – where they presided over a rich, artistic culture that was highly ritualistic
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Bull-Leaping
The Minoans loved games and athletic contests. Bull-leaping satisfied both their appetite for sport and their religious obligation. The athletes would grab a charging bull by the horns, somersault over its back, and land on their feet with arms raised in victory. Both men and women took part in these dramatic feats, which required great courage, agility, and skill.
Impossible? Spanish bullfighters claim that it is, and some scholars believe that the bull-leaping scenes featured in Minoan frescoes may be only symbolic. Indeed, bulls had a strong religious significance in Minoan society. They represented virility and were depicted on vases and in figurines, , and enormous sculpted ‘horns of consecration’ adorned the palace walls.
Minoan Remains at Phaistos
Ceremonial drinking vessels called rhytons were carved in the shape of a bull’s head. In sacrificial rites thought to be connected to agricultural cycles, a bull was captured and bound, its throat cut, and its blood drained into these sacred cups. This ritual honoured the bull and connected the Minoans to its divine life force.
Bull-leaping, whether or not it actually occurred, may have symbolised the triumph of man over the unpredictable forces of nature.
The Minoan Ages
Chronologically, archaeologists break down the Minoan civilisation into four main periods:
Pre-Palace Period (2600-1900 BC). Bronze Age culture develops on Crete.
Old Palace Period (1900-1700 BC). First Minoan palaces are built but are destroyed by earthquakes.
New Palace Period (1700-1450 BC). Grand new palaces are built and the civilisation reaches its height before a great catastrophe, possibly a tsunami, destroyed all the palaces simultaneously.
Post Palace Period (1450-1100 BC). After the destruction, Minoan civilisation declines as the Mycenaeans move in.
Daily Life as a Minoan
Much of what we know about the Minoans has been gleaned from their beautiful artworks. Impressive frescoes once decorated the walls of the palaces showing, people, animals, and scenes of daily life as a Minoan.
The paintings, incorporating movement and sensuality, were skilfully executed in vibrant colours made from plants, minerals, and shellfish. The artists painted women’s skin white and men’s red. We therefore know from the frescoes that women played an important role in society.
Minoan Frescoes at Knossos
Exquisite sculptures, pottery, mosaics, and decorative arts suggest that the Minoans lived an ancient version of the ‘good life’. Their palace homes had roof terraces, light wells, baths, and sophisticated plumbing systems. They were well fed, with huge granaries and giant vessels, called pithoi, to store wine and olive oil.
The Minoans were also great seafarers, trading their agricultural produce far and wide to acquire copper and tin to make bronze, and gold, silver and precious stones to make jewellery and works of art.
One of the most curious facts about their palaces is that they were built without fortifications, suggesting the Minoans lived peacefully and did not fear enemies. At their height, the Minoans are thought to have numbered over two million people, a figure four times greater than the population of Crete today!
The Double Axe
The double axe was also a dual symbol, representing both the waxing and the waning of the moon and the religious and political power of the priest-king.
Catastrophic Ending
This great civilisation came to a sudden end around 1450 BC when some unknown catastrophe occurred that destroyed all the palaces at the same time. Many scholars believe that the volcanic eruption on the nearby island of Santorini created a deluge of tidal waves, earthquakes, and fires on Crete, which could explain the charred remains found at some of the palaces.
Others favour theories of outside invaders, such as the Mycenaeans, or an internal rebellion against the palace rulers. Whatever the cause, within about 200 years the Minoans had all but disappeared, though the reason may always remain a mystery.
The Snake Goddess
Another potent Minoan religious figure was that of the Snake Goddess, a woman holding a snake in each hand. Her bare breasts symbolised fertility while the snake, which sheds its skin, symbolises healing and rebirth.
The Legend of the Minotaur
Poseidon, god of the sea, sent King Minos a white bull, but when he later requested that it be sacrificed, Minos could not bring himself to kill the beautiful animal. In revenge, the angry god caused the king’s wife, Pasiphae, to fall in love with the bull and their mating produced the Minotaur, a hideous creature with a bull’s head and a man’s body.
Minos kept the monster in a labyrinth beneath the palace, and every nine years fourteen youths were shipped from Athens and fed to the Minotaur.
When Theseus, son of the king of Athens, heard of this he vowed to stop the slaughter. Volunteering to be one of the victims, he entered the palace and then seduced Minos’s daughter, Ariadne, who gave him a sword and a ball of thread to enable him to find the bull, kill it, and then retrace his way out of the labyrinth.
Other Crete pages
This drive along the west coast of Crete and inland from there will take a whole day and starts and ends in Kastélli Kissámou, west of Chania.
Margarites is known on Crete for its pottery, with ceramics shops and workshops lining the streets of this charming small town not far from Rethymnon.
Agios Nikolaos is a pretty and popular town on the north coast of Crete and this page on Greece Travel Secrets covers its history, museums and beaches.
Crete festivals and events include Carnival Easter, Whitsun, Christmas, many other religious feast days and public holidays.
The Stilianou Winery near Knossos on Crete uses only Cretan grape varieties, with every bottle numbered, and aims for quality rather than quantity.
This Rouvas Gorge walk starts and ends in Zaros in southern Crete and should take three to four hours with a distance of eight kilometres or five miles.
Driving on Crete is the best way to see Greece’s biggest island and here is our driving advice and some information about Greek driving regulations.
We visit and tour the Manousakis Winery on Crete with a wine-tasting and a chance to buy their tsikoudia, sea salt, olive oil and other goodies.
This tour around central Crete lists some of the area’s highlights such as the traditional village of Arolithos, Minoan remains at Tilisos, and Agioi Deka.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to stay in Central Crete including hotels in Matala, Ayia Galini, and Zaros.
Is someone from Crete a Greek or a Cretan? They are both, of course, but most will tell you that they are Cretan first and Greek second.
How to see eastern Crete in five days, with its beaches, Minoan palaces, timeless villages, unique churches and mountain and coastal scenery.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Crete Botanical Gardens near Chania and finds a wonderland of colourful plants, trees, and flowers filling a lovely valley.
This Lasithi Plateau drive on Crete starts in Neapoli and ends in Malia, covering a distance of 80 km (50 miles) and taking two to three hours.
This Airbnb in the quiet village of Malaxa, a 30-minute drive into the hills above Chania, is a peaceful retreat with a delightful and thoughtful artist owner, with wonderful views and amenities.
Elounda on Crete's north coast is a popular holiday town with a pretty harbour, from where you can take day trips by boat to see the island of Spinalonga.
The largest of the Greek islands, Crete has four ENUESCO sites, which are Sitia, Psiloritis, Asterousia, and the Gorge of Samaria.
This olive grove walk from Limnes to Vrises on Crete also takes you through orchards and gives close-up views of some of the island’s windmills.
Lonely Planet Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.
This Amari Valley drive in southern Crete starts and ends in Ayia Galini, takes four to five hours and cover 100 kilometres or 62 miles.
Greece Travel Secrets chooses ten of the best beaches on Crete including the beautiful beaches at Vai and Elafonisi.
Malia on the north coast of Crete is renowned for its nightlife and beaches but also has the Minoan Palace of Malia, one of Crete's many archaeological sites.
Driving central Crete in three days gives you time to see the highlights including the Minoan palaces at Knossos and Phaistos, the beaches and the Diktean Cave.
Greece Travel Secrets visits Visual Arts Crete who offer accommodation and run art courses at their home and studio in the village of Kastellos near Rethymnon.
The Diktean or Diktaean Cave, also known as the Psychro Cave, near the village of Psychro in eastern Crete, is said to be the birthplace of Zeus.
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