Table of Contents |
The artwork examined in this lesson falls between 1900 BC and 1375 BC. Just southeast of Greece, surrounded by the Aegean Sea, is the island of Crete. This civilization had strong ties to ancient Greece.
Within this region is a geological, or tectonic plate, fault line, which lies at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea right by Crete. It makes a divide between the Eurasian Plate above and African plate below. As these plates move, they create a lot of geological disturbances and earthquakes, as well as volcanic activity.
The timeline below highlights the time period covered in this lesson.
The fabled Minotaur and the myth associated with it is an important Greek myth with strong connections to the Minoan civilization. The bull is an important animal figure in Greek mythology, and it seems to be of particular importance to the people of Crete. It is an image that comes up repeatedly in Cretan artwork.
According to the myth, the Minotaur was a creature held captive in a labyrinth, or maze, by King Minos. With the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man, the Minotaur was a horrible creature that enjoyed eating people. He was actually the love child of the king’s wife and a sacred bull. Eventually he was slain by the mythical hero Theseus, who became the eventual king of the city-state of Athens.
Sometime between 1900 and 1903, an archaeologist named Arthur Evans grew interested in searching for the lost kingdom due to the legend of King Minos and the Minotaur. Upon discovering likely ruins, he labeled the civilization Minoan after the mythical king. It was Evans who discovered the ancient site of Knossos in northern Crete.
Remember, Crete was an area of many geological disturbances. Because of the earthquakes, the palace complex was severely damaged over time. Rooms and passageways are thought to have shifted considerably. The maze-like quality of the complex, as well the term labyrinth, is how Minoan palaces came to be associated with mazes. This palace complex was made of stone, constructed using the post-and-lintel technique.
The ruins of Knossos, shown below, did not always look this way, of course.
The Minoan civilization became a powerful force within the Aegean and gradually annexed more and more of the surrounding territory, particularly the Cycladic Islands (the Cyclades). A theme of nature began to surface in Minoan art, which became more dynamic than Egyptian art. A sense of liveliness or energy is a characteristic seen throughout Minoan works of art.
IN CONTEXT
As you view the following works of art, notice the recurring theme of nature and the liveliness and energy projected by these artists.
First, take a look at this image:
This is a sculpture of a goddess holding snakes, aptly named the “Goddess with Snakes.” It is thought that it is likely an image of man, or woman in this case, demonstrating dominance over nature. The snakes represent fertility and agriculture.
Continuing on, here is another work of art, a ceramic work called the “Octopus Flask”:
Notice the dynamic rendering of the octopus, with its squirmy legs and a rather detailed suction cups. This is a prime example of the liveliness and energy depicted in Minoan art. The iconography relates the Minoans’ connection with the sea, on which they depended for their livelihood.
Continuing the nature theme, the example below was taken from a home on Thera, one of the Cycladic Islands. It is the “Saffron Gatherers” fresco, which is a type of painting using water-based paints on fresh plaster. It depicts the collection of saffron crocus flowers by a young girl. Saffron was, and really remains, an expensive spice that probably was one of the principal spices that Crete traded among the other Aegean civilizations.
This work of art is also a great example of buon fresco, or wet fresco. The pigments are applied as the plaster is still drying, which allows the image to set inside the plaster and become a permanent part of the wall. Minoans created both wet and dry frescoes, also known as fresco secco.
This next work of art, a fresco of a springtime landscape, is another example from Thera.
This fresco is important in that it is the first example of a landscape-only image in ancient art.
Finally, possibly the most recognized image of a fresco from the Palace of Knossos, the work of art below depicts what is thought to be a ritualistic scene:
Another work of art, it perhaps depicts a scene of sacrifice, and it shows the importance of the bull in Minoan culture. It may depict three athletes, or it could be three different poses of one athlete jumping over the bull, beginning, middle, and end. This is a much more dynamic image than what we’ve seen in Egyptian art.
Source: THIS TUTORIAL WAS AUTHORED BY IAN MCCONNELL FOR SOPHIA LEARNING. Please see our Terms of Use.