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Glossary

Minoan Art and Architecture
(3000-1400 BCE)

 Index

Although human beings inhabited Greece as early as the Neolithic age, the important Aegean civilizations came to prominence in the second millennium BCE, well after the advanced civilizations in the river valleys of Mesopotamia and Egypt.

The Minoan centers, located on the island of Crete and several surrounding islands in the Aegean, were at the crossroads of the ancient Mediterranean. Thus, they prospered, enjoying the natural defenses that the sea provided. The largest of the Minoan palaces is at Knossos (according to legend the home of King Minos). The palace of Knossos reflects the prosperity and comfort level of this early culture. The other arts tell us as well about the values, religion, and life style of Minoan peoples.

Pottery
Statuettes
The Toreador Fresco
The Palace of Knossos, Crete

Art History for Humanities: Copyright © 1997 Bluffton College.
Text and image preparation by Mary Ann Sullivan. Design by Gerald W. Schlabach.

All images marked MAS were photographed on location by Mary Ann Sullivan. All other images were scanned from other sources or downloaded from the World Wide Web; they are posted on this password-protected site for educational purposes, at Bluffton College only, under the "fair use" clause of U.S. copyright law.

Page maintained by Gerald W. Schlabach, gws@bluffton.edu. Last updated: 16 September 1997.