Download The Minoans PPT

•Knossos, the Minoans, the
Minotaur, and the Mystery
35° 17′ 52.66″ N, 25° 9′ 47.36″ E
What do we know about the
Geography of Greece?
A. Surrounded by a lot of water (Ionian,
Med., Aegean) and mountains
B. Lots of little islands
Early Greek communities grew up
independent!
C. Very little farmlands
Instead of farming they turn to fishing
Could it all be just a legend
with no place to base it out
of??
King Minos
Zeus & Europa = Minos’s Parents
What was the name of the
civilization that lived here?
• Minoans - named
after King Minos who
received his name
from Minos
Kalokarinos the first
archaeologist to
excavate in Crete.
• 2800BCE
King Minos
Deal with
Poseidon helps
create the
Minotaur
Death of the
Minotaur
(Theseus –
Athens)
Knossos the city of mystery
Thanks for the cool story, but
what were they really about?
• Main Idea – The
Minoans earned their
living by building
ships and trading!
The Minoans
• Minoan Civilization began in the capital
city of Knossos on the island of Crete
around 2800 B.C.E.
• 1st civilization in the region that later
became Greece.
The Minoans
• 2000BCE– Drove off the pirates
• Used a long wooden beam and prow to fight
& slimmer ships that were faster with three sails
– Minoans controlled the Mediterranean Sea!!
Minoan Ship Recreation
Minoan Ship Recreation
Minoan Cities
• No Walls!
• Famous for their grand palaces!
– Center of the city palace instead of temple
–
Thank you Minoans for….
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5 stories high houses/apartments
Running hot and cold water
Heated rooms
Flushing toilets
Wooden Front Doors
Rulers & Religion
• Priest –kings
– Ruled by talking to gods and representing
them on earth
• Polytheistic
• Main God/Goddess
– Mother Earth
Mother Earth
Minoan Sports
• Minoans loved sports
• Built world’s first arena
– Could seat 500!!!
• Boxing Matches – Men
• Chariot hunts - Women
• Bull Leaping – Men and Women
Bull Leaping
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1L-8xLI_5c
Fall of the Minoans
• Around 1450 B.C.E. Minoan civilization
disappears!
• Most likely a cataclysmic event.
– Tsunami & a Volcano
– Mycenaeans took them over
• The Greeks claim it was the fault of the
MINOTAUR!
Where the
Minoans the true
people of
Atlantis?